Britain: 2 sought over teenager's knife death

London, Mar 19: Police are looking for two men seen running away after a 15-year-old boy was stabbed to death in a London street in the latest teenage killing to hit the capital.

Police said the men, both black and wearing grey hooded tops, had been seen near where Adam Regis, from Plaistow, east London, collapsed before horrified passers-by near West Ham's football stadium in east London on Saturday evening.

A post mortem released late yesterday showed that Regis died from a single stab wound to the chest and abdomen.

Police believe Regis may have got off a bus shortly before he was found.

Detective Chief Inspector Ian Stevenson told reporters that his thoughts were with the boy's family.

''I cannot imagine what they are going through. It's a very sad day,'' he said.

One local woman said she rang 999 after finding the teenager in the street. ''I saw a young boy lying on the floor and a dark patch which I thought was blood,'' Sandra Wynands told Sky News. ''I asked these two boys what's wrong and they stated: 'I think he's drunk or something and he's just fell over'.'' Police are checking CCTV footage, searching for the murder weapon and other evidence and speaking to local people.

Stevenson appealed for witnesses who may have seen the two potential suspects or the victim. Regis was described as very tall, casually dressed and wearing white Nike trainers.

Stevenson refused to discuss the wider issues of gang culture and a spate of teenage killings in the capital in recent months.

Regis' killing came just days after 16-year-old Kodjo Yenga was stabbed to death in west London. Four teenagers appeared in court on Saturday charged with his murder.

Yenga's mother described him as a hard-working, polite and popular boy who had no involvement with teenage gangs.

''I will miss him forever,'' Ladjua Lesele said. ''My boy was very mature for his age, polite and very neat with his character.

''My life with my boy was fantastic. We loved each other. We were really inseparable. I will miss him all my life,'' she said.

Three men were stabbed to death in separate incidents in the Manchester area early on Saturday.

Last month, three teenagers were shot dead in separate incidents in south London, sparking intense political debate about violent crime and gang culture.

Billy Cox, 15, was shot dead at his home in Clapham. Schoolboy Michael Dosunmu, 15, was shot in his bedroom in nearby Peckham days after James Smartt-Ford, 16, was gunned down at Streatham ice rink.

After the three killings, Prime Minister Tony Blair said the murders were ''tragic beyond belief'', but rejected Conservative claims that they reflected a wider malaise in society.

Reuters