Details of the horrifying attack have also revealed the two British teenagers, who suffered horrific burns when the acid was thrown at them, saw their attackers smile and nod to each other moments before throwing the liquid.
Voluntary workers Katie Gee and Kirstie Trup, both 18, arrived back in the country yesterday and were transferred to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London, where their conditions have been described as 'stable'.
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Covered up: Acid attack victims Kirstie Trup and Katie Gee arrive at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital under blankets
Sam Jones, who was on the holiday island of Zanzibar with his girlfriend Nadine at the time, has told The Sun how he heard their screams following the attack and found one of them crouching by a toilet block in pain.
He told the newspaper the girls said they had been walking along a street when a moped carrying two men drew up alongside them and stopped.
He said: 'The men looked at each other, nodded and smiled - then one of them threw the acid on to them from a container, like a petrol can.'
Mr Jones said he, Nadine and a group of local people found Katie by a toilet block screaming in pain.
Treatment: Consultant burns and plastic surgeon Andy Williams said the girls are 'well' and are recovering with their families
The plane carrying British girls Katie Gee and Kirstie Trup arrives at RAF Northolt yesterday afternoon
Appreciation: Katie Gee tweeted her gratitude for the support she has been given since the attack
He said: 'Her clothing disintegrated in minutes. There was a putrid, pungent smell.'
He said the acid was so powerful that it burnt his hands as he tried to help the teenager.
The couple said they supported the injured women by joining them on a private plane to Tanzania's capital Dar es Salaam for treatment.
POLICE QUESTION FIVE MEN IN CONNECTION WITH ACID ATTACK
Five men have been questioned by officers in connection with the acid attack on the holiday island of Zanzibar.
Police have said the men had not been arrested and were co-operating with the investigation.
Mkadam Khamis, regional police commissioner on Zanzibar, told the Daily Telegraph: 'There are five people we have, all men, who we are interrogating over this matter this morning.
'They have not yet been arrested. They are co-operating and answering our questions.
'Later today maybe there will be a development legally.'
Yusuf Ilembo, deputy director of criminal investigations, said his detectives were exploring ‘many avenues of investigation, including political and religious’.
He added: ‘It is too soon to accuse anyone directly, but yes we are looking at those people and their supporters.’
Police are also hunting Sheikh Issa Ponda Issa, an inflammatory Muslim cleric who arrived on the island a week ago to build support for protests against the government.
Meanwhile, The Times has reported how one of the girl's injuries are much worse than the other's, because helpers used dirty water on her burns.
Kirstie however is understood to have been taken to the sea in the aftermath of the attack at Stone Town, a beach resort, which reportedly saved her from the more serious injuries suffered by her friend.
Katie yesterday thanked supporters for their good wishes as the pair continued to recover in hospital.
The student took to Twitter to say: 'Thank you for all your support x'.
She sent the message from the capital's regional burns centre where her and Kirstie were receiving treatment after arriving back in the country yesterday.
Their medic, Andy Williams, consultant burns and plastic surgeon, said: 'We can confirm that Katie and Kirstie have been transferred to our care at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital's burns unit where we're still assessing their injuries.
'Both girls are well and their families are with them. They will be staying at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.
'Both families would like to thank everyone that's helped to bring the girls back.
'The families now wish to have time with the girls and that the media would respect their privacy at this difficult time.'
Five men are being questioned by police on the Indian Ocean island after the women were attacked as they walked along a road on Wednesday night.
Mkadam Khamis, regional police commissioner on Zanzibar, told the Daily Telegraph: 'There are five people we have, all men, who we are interrogating over this matter this morning.
'They have not yet been arrested. They are co-operating and answering our questions.
Nicky Gee, the mother of Katie (left) demanded that her daughter and friend Kirstie (pictured before leaving for Zanzibar) were flown home immediately
Returning home: Kirstie Trup, pictured left before the attack and wrapped in blankets, right, following the acid attack in Zanzibar, Tanzania,
'Later today maybe there will be a development legally.'
Yusuf Ilembo, deputy director of criminal investigations, said his detectives were exploring ‘many avenues of investigation, including political and religious’.
He added: ‘It is too soon to accuse anyone directly, but yes we are looking at those people and their supporters.’
Police are also hunting Sheikh Issa Ponda Issa, an inflammatory Muslim cleric who arrived on the island a week ago to build support for protests against the government.
The young women, from north London, were enjoying the last week of a trip as volunteer teachers to the predominantly Muslim island when the corrosive substance was thrown at them in an apparently unprovoked attack.
Kirstie's father Marc had earlier described the girls as 'inconsolable' when he spoke to them after the attack.
Katie Gee was comforted by a fellow traveller as she was driven to hospital in Tanzania
The teenage volunteer appears to be in pain as she is taken to hospital alongside a male friend
They were flown to the Tanzanian capital Dar es Salaam for treatment before being released.
Speaking about the terrifying moments after learning they had been attacked, he told the Times: 'We couldn't get anything out of them because they had been burned...Both girls are very shocked and very frightened.'
Speaking about his daughter, he added: 'She can still see and she is not dead. Whatever it is we will cope with it.'
Mr Trup said the girls were dressed appropriately and had been warned not to wear anything which gave away their Jewish background, including the Star of David.
He told the newspaper: 'We know it's a Muslim country, they were Western girls. Unfortunately they went out during the month of Ramadan.
'There has been a huge alert in African countries with potential threats. Maybe it's connected, maybe not.'
Recovery: Kirstie Trup is due to return to her family home in north London to start her recovery from the acid attack
Home: Kirstie Trup, 18, lives on this road in affluent Hampstead, north London
The girls had originally planned to return in time to collect their A-Level results next week, with Kirstie hoping to study history at the University of Bristol while Miss Gee is considering the University of Leeds, it was reported.
Zanzibar is an archipelago of islands in the Indian Ocean about 22 miles off the mainland.
The semi-autonomous region of Tanzania is predominantly Muslim and has been the scene of some religious violence in recent years.
'She can still see and she is not dead. Whatever it is we will cope with it'
- Kirstie Trup's father Marc
Earlier this year two Christian leaders were killed and in November a cleric was treated in hospital after an acid attack.
The attack happened in the Stone Town area of Zanzibar's eponymous capital city.
i-to-i Travel, the company the girls used to volunteer abroad, said today: 'We welcome the proactive investigations being carried out by local authorities in Zanzibar and continue to liaise with them.
'We have been in contact with all of our customers who remain in Zanzibar and provided them all with a copy of our recommended safety measures from their pre-tour safety guide and advised them to remain vigilant during the remainder of their stay.
'We also recommend they refer to the FCO advice.
'Customers due to arrive into Zanzibar this weekend have been given the option to volunteer at an alternative project and all have chosen to continue to travel to Tanzania.'
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