Girl aged 11 killed in ‘Chemical Incident’ at Home

An 11-year-old girl died in a “chemical incident” at her home in East London.

Fatiha Sabrin was found unresponsive at her home alongside her brother and mother in Nida House on Sutton Street, Tower Hamlets, in the afternoon of December 11, 2021

Family friend Sabbir Ahmad explained that the girl’s father Sahidul Islam has been stuck in an airport since the tragedy happened as he was in Bangladesh on a business trip.

Describing Fatiha, Sabbir said:

“She was a very bright girl. She was in my home eight or nine days ago and were discussing her future plans.

“She was very responsive and told me she wanted to be a doctor, and wanted to make something very good of her life.

“She was also a great writer; she received awards for her writing skills.”

Sabbir said his wife arrived at the flat and found the family in trouble. She then called an ambulance.

Fatiha was taken to an East London hospital, however, she tragically died a short time later.

Other residents in the building also reported feeling unwell and the London Fire Brigade carried out a full evacuation.

Three people were subsequently taken to hospital where they remain.

Following an evacuation, firefighters swept the building and found a “quantity of chemicals”, believed to be used for pest control.

A spokesperson for the Met Police stated that they were safely removed and an investigation will be carried out to find out how they came to be in the building.

Fatiha’s death is being treated as unexplained and the Met said a special post-mortem examination will take place in due course.

Sabbir believes Fatiha’s mother and brother are recovering in hospital.

Tests are set to be carried out on them due to the nature of the “chemical incident”.

Fatiha went to Buttercup Primary School, which is less than a mile from her family home.

Toni Santos Babi, a resident in the apartment block, told MyLondon:

“I and my flatmates smelled a strange smell in our flat, and I had a headache, and they had a cough and throat ache for the last two days.

“Around 5 pm, firefighters came into my flat to measure levels of some chemicals and they found a higher number in the toilet.

“In the meantime, more police were coming and they closed the whole road.

“The building was evacuated and residents were eventually moved to hotels, where they have been told they will stay for two days.

“Then another team of medics came to re-measure the chemical level, and around 7:30 pm they told us to evacuate ASAP.”