A tragic incident unfolded this morning as a mother-of-two and respected human rights lawyer was discovered with fatal stab wounds following a house explosion.
Emergency services, including six fire engines and 40 firefighters, descended upon the scene of the blast that devastated the basement and ground floor of an east London home.
The alleged victim has been named locally as 46-year-old Annabel Rook, a mother and human rights advocate. Following the incident, police arrested a 44-year-old man on suspicion of murder and took him to a major trauma centre in London for treatment of non-life-threatening slash wounds.
One neighbour commented: “She was a lovely lady – a very doting mother. I would always see her walking to school with her children. They go to school just around the corner.”
Another neighbour recalled: “I think she bought the property about seven years ago. I remember speaking to her when she first moved in.”, reports the Mirror.
And another added: “She was part of this community. It’s a shock to hear what happened.”
Authorities confirmed that two children, aged nine and seven, were taken to hospital as a precautionary measure, though it is believed they were not present in the house at the time of the explosion.
The Metropolitan Police alongside the London Fire Brigade are currently investigating the cause of the explosion.
One local resident described his disbelief upon being awakened by a massive explosion, while another expressed her sorrow over the subsequent murder arrest.
The neighbour said: “There was a big explosion at around ten to five. It was very loud. It woke me up and I thought, ‘Was that in a dream?’. We went out in the street and there was glass all over.
“We walked to the house and the front window was blown in. It was very quick that the emergency services came. We didn’t know [the people living in the house], but their next door neighbours did. [We heard] the children weren’t in the house [at the time of the explosion].”
A woman living on the same street added: “The front of the house was damaged. We live about eight doors down – we can’t get into our house. All of the residents are out of their houses.”
Another local man commented: “I couldn’t smell any gas and there was no fire as well. I think maybe there was some fire in the basement and some smoke came out, but that was about an hour after the event.”
A local woman, who didn’t hear the explosion, said: “On our local WhatsApp group, nobody seems to know what happened. The first thing we saw was a news report at 7:30am.”
Another woman remarked: “It’s a lovely road – but I guess things like this can happen anywhere. It’s really good the kids are alright.”
LFB station commander Darren McTernan issued a warning: “Motorists and pedestrians are advised to avoid the area for most of this morning while investigations into the cause of this incident are carried out.”
He also detailed the traffic disruptions: “There are road closures in place on Stoke Newington Church Street from the junction of the A10 to Defoe Road. Residents should also note that Kersley Road is completely shut at this time.”
Emergency teams from local fire stations, including Stoke Newington, Islington, Homerton, and Holloway, responded promptly to the emergency.
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