The 46-year-old was found fatally injured inside a house
A woman was found fatally stabbed after a house explosion. The 46-year-old victim was found with fatal injuries inside a property on Dumont Road, Stoke Newington, in north-east London, shortly before 5am on Tuesday, June 17, according to the Metropolitan Police.
A 44-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder, and has been taken to hospital to be treated for slash wounds. Two children, aged seven and nine, were taken to hospital as a precautionary measure, although it is believed they were not present in the house at the time of the explosion.
Local residents recalled the sound of the blast as it ripped through the house. One person said it was “like somebody dropped a massive glass cabinet from a crane”.
The same resident, who wished to remain anonymous, added: “I looked out and saw panes of glass on the floor. You could tell it wasn’t a car window. Eventually I noticed the beam on the bay window was missing and could see some mild smoke coming out of the back.
“People starting arriving and saying to phone the police.” He said he remembered seeing a man in a state of distress and added: “There was a guy rushing around, very distraught. He went round the back.”
Emergency services, including six fire engines and 40 firefighters, responded to the call early on Tuesday, with road closures still enforced.
Later in the morning, the corner terrace house on Dumont Road was cordoned off, with police, fire brigade, and gas company personnel on site.
The front bay window of the house was completely shattered, with an array of debris including plants, wooden shutters, and glass strewn across the street.
A 76-year-old neighbour said: “I was asleep upstairs and heard a sudden bang then I saw from the curtain all the glass all on the floor. I was worried. Everybody on the street came out in their pyjamas.”
Another resident reported hearing not one, but two loud noises, they said: “I’m pretty sure it was two bangs I heard. There was lots of glass shattering. It didn’t sound like a car crash; it was more like a multitude of glasses being smashed to the ground.”
In response to the incident, the Metropolitan Police said there will be extra patrols in the vicinity as the investigation proceeds.
Matteo Prodava, a 35-year-old production designer who lives opposite the scene, said: “You hear these things that happen in the world, but when it happens on the next street, it has a different impact.”
A Kersley Road resident, close to Dumont Road, added: “That is so sad. I just want to cry. I have never heard of something like this happening here. I am just in shock. I feel sorry for the kids; what sort of news is this?
“We just thought we couldn’t move the cars and there’s been a gas explosion. Now, I don’t know what to say.”
The police are urging anyone with information to come forward and contact them on 101 with the reference CAD 926/17June or, for those wishing to remain anonymous, to reach out to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via their online platform.
