"We are dealing with the settling of scores," Marseille prosecutor Nicolas Bessone told Le Parisien daily.

The fast food restaurant's manager called police at 10:50 pm (21:50 GMT) on Saturday to report gunfire in the parking lot, the newspaper reported.

Police found five people inside a bullet-ridden car, two of them dead and three others hurt.

The deceased were identified as a 22-year-old male driver and a 25-year-old female passenger.

The wounded were a man and a woman aged 19 and another man aged 29 who was hit in the throat and is fighting for his life.

A Peugeot SUV was found ablaze near the crime scene. Police believe it was used by the shooters, who also left 24 shell castings used in Kalashnikov assault rifles at the scene.

The police are investigating the shooting as an instance of gang violence. At least two of the people in the car, including the dead driver, were known to police for involvement in drug trafficking.