Boy, 17, stabbed to death and 18-year-old man left fighting for his life after ‘machete brawl’

A 17-year-old boy has been stabbed to death and a second teenager is in a life-threatening condition after a ‘mass brawl with machetes’ broke out in east London.

Emergency services rushed to the scene following reports of a disturbance involving a large number of people in Bow, Tower Hamlets.

There are reports that the disturbance on Lichfield Road, E3, involved around 100 people, some armed with machetes, following a dispute about uninvited people attending a party.

Officers at the scene became aware of two males with stab wounds from the attack that took place in the early hours of Sunday morning.

A spokesperson for Met Police told MailOnline: ‘At 00:09hrs on Sunday, 4 September police were called to reports of a disturbance involving a large number of people in Lichfield Road, E3

‘Medics from the London Ambulance Service and London’s Air Ambulance attended. Both males were taken to an east London hospital.

‘Despite the best efforts of medical staff, one of the males – who is believed to be aged 17 – was pronounced dead at 01:54hrs.

‘The second male – who is believed to be 18 – remains in a critical condition.’

A 17-year-old boy has been stabbed to death and another teenager is in a life-threatening condition after a ‘mass brawl with machetes’ broke out in east London. Pictured: Police at the scene on Lichfield Road, Bow

Police have launched an investigation but no arrests have been made. Forensic teams (pictured) were seen at the scene

One of the victims suffered a stab injury to their neck, GB News reports. 

Police have launched an investigation into the attack but no arrests have been made as of yet. 

Officers and forensic teams have been pictured on the road which was cordoned off earlier today. 

Anyone with information has been urged to contact the police.

This comes after a spate of attacks in Lawless London as pressure mounts on Mayor of London Sadiq Khan to better tackle the scourge of knife crime, which has surged over the past year as the UK exited the Covid pandemic.

Mr Khan said on social media shortly after the news of the stabbing broke out: ‘Violent crime tears families and communities apart. It has no place in London and I am determined to bear down on both violence and the complex causes of violence. Prevention and early intervention is key to making London safer for all.’

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan (pictured) has come under scrutiny after a spate of attacks over the past year

However, it is not yet clear whether he was responding to the latest London attack. 

August saw six suspected murders in the space of four days in London including the fatal stabbing of veteran charity fundraiser Thomas O’Halloran, 87, while he was out riding on his mobility scooter. 

There has also been multiple others stabbed or shot across the capital in recent weeks as rival politicians call on the mayor to do more. 

Before backtracking 24 hours later, Mr Khan had tried to defend the high levels of crime in London by attributing it to longer days, school holidays and summer heatwaves.

But he later said: ‘One homicide is a homicide too many, and one victim of crime is one victim of crime too many, but I feel like over the last six years I’ve had one hand tied behind my back because of austerity.

‘We’ve lost 21,000 officers, the Government has now said it will replace them with 20,000 officers when our population has gone up.

‘We’ve had cuts in youth workers, in youth services, in after-school clubs, in services councils provide because of the choice made by the government and it is Londoners who are caught in the crossfire.’