The body of a man killed in a huge explosion has been removed from the rubble of the house where he died, Scotland Yard said.

The man, who has not been identified, was killed in a blast that left two other people with serious injuries.

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

A spokesman for the Met said: "Following a search of the premises, the body of a man was discovered amongst the rubble. He was removed from the scene by London Fire Brigade."

The explosion demolished three terraced properties in Stanley Road, South Harrow, north-west London on Wednesday night.

Police were originally called after reports of a gas explosion, but engineers could find no faults with the mains supply.

The spokesman said: "The cause of the explosion has yet to be determined, however, it is being treated as suspicious at this early stage."

Structural engineers worked to make the remains of the properties safe so the victim's body could be removed.

Shocked neighbours dug through smoking rubble with their bare hands after the explosion shook their homes.

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

Chris Mote, leader of Harrow Council, said yesterday that Stanley Road may not be reopened for another five or six days.

He 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.

Firefighters rescued two other people from the rubble and initially feared others may also be trapped after they were called at about 9.30pm on Wednesday night.

A 26-year-old man suffering from serious head injuries was taken to Northwick Park hospital in north-west London.

A 17-year-old girl, named locally as Charlotte, was taken to Chelsea and Westminster hospital with severe burns.

Gravedigger Andrew Haynes, 44, said it took at least 15 minutes to pull the 17-year-old from one property that had been split into two flats.

He said: "There was a girl's arm just poking through the rubble and there was a beam on her. It looked like the ceiling had fallen on her and she was entombed in there.

"It took us about 15 minutes to get to her. I kept telling her she was going to be OK. She was covered in dust, she had lacerations on her stomach and was in a pretty bad way."

Neighbour Paul Redmond, 42, whose front door was blown off, said when he left his house people were already searching for survivors. He said: "I was terrified. I feared for my life."

The site is less than a mile from Drinkwater Road where a gas explosion demolished a top-floor flat in February.