House blast man killed by debris


Two houses were completely destroyed



A man killed when an explosion ripped through his neighbours property in north London died from neck injuries post-mortem tests have shown.
Emmad Qureshi 26 was found buried beneath rubble at his terraced home in Stanley Road South Harrow.
Two others injured in Wednesdays blast remain in hospital.
On Friday it emerged that a purple liquid was poured through the letterbox of the house next door to Mr Qureshis 10 hours before the blast.
Two houses were completely destroyed and a third house was damaged in the blast which police are treating as suspicious.
Police believe a 17-year-old girl who lived at number 21 may have been the intended target of the attack.
The teenager suffered serious burns in the explosion which happened at about 2140 BST.
Rotten egg smell
A 26-year-old man who was visiting Mr Qureshi who lived at number 23 suffered head and arm injuries. Both are in a stable condition.
Detectives said on the morning of the explosion the teenager had reported that a group of girls were causing a disturbance outside the house.
She later told police that the mysterious liquid which had a distinctive smell of rotten eggs was poured through the letterbox between 0900 and 1000 BST the same day.
Detectives have said the liquid may be linked to the blast and they will be consulting experts to identify the substance.
A police spokesman said work to identify the liquid would not begin until they had access to the property which was likely to be next week.
Speaking after the blast Det Ch Insp Colin Sutton said they had not ruled out a gas explosion but experts had said it was "unlikely to be the cause". Up to 60 people who live in Stanley Road remain in temporary accommodation as the road has been closed to allow for recovery work. Harrow Council said gas and structural checks were being carried out in the hope of allowing some people to return home on Saturday evening.