Experts Delve Into Rubble After Explosion

By Sky News SkyNews - Friday, May 9 01:48 pm

A woman whose home was destroyed in a mystery explosion had called police to complain about the behaviour of a group of girls on the day of the blast.

Three terraced houses were flattened and a man was killed when the explosion ripped through Stanley Road, South Harrow, north west London on Wednesday night.

Murder squad detectives believe the blast may have been sparked deliberately.

It has emerged that police received a call from one of the residents complaining about the youngsters who had gathered outside the property.

He said: "We received a call from an address on Stanley Road at 11am on Wednesday.

"The caller reported that a group of females were causing a disturbance outside the property but the caller confirmed that the group had moved away and that she no longer required police assistance."

Police are trying to establish the cause of the huge explosion. Engineers have found no fault with the gas mains supply.

The body of the dead man - named locally as 26-year-old Emad Qureshi - has been recovered from the scene and a post-mortem examination is due to be carried out shortly.

At least 40 people remained in temporary hotel accommodation last night as the recovery operation continued.

Council officials said residents may face up to five of six days before returning to their homes.

Chris Mote, leader of Harrow Council, said: "Whatever way you look at it, it's a tragedy. It makes it all the more poignant when someone is killed.

"All the response services have worked very well together and we've managed to look after everybody who's needed it."

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