Two women have been found dead in a hotel room in a suspected double suicide, police have said.
The women - one aged in her 30s, the other in her 50s - were found in a bedroom of the Costello Palace Hotel in Finsbury Park, north London.
The discovery of a powder in the room prompted police to evacuate the hotel and close off roads in the surrounding area, in what emergency services described as a chemical incident.
Officers from London Fire brigade were seen entering the building in decontamination suits and specialist breathing apparatus.
At the height of the operation more than 15 emergency service vehicles were clustered outside the hotel.
Guests staying at the hotel said they thought the bodies had only been discovered late on Sunday morning.
Eileen Early, 43, from Great Dunmow, Essex, said: "It's just awful when you think about it. It's such a shock to realise that this has gone on while we were inside the hotel."
Around 70 people are thought to have stayed at the Costello Palace on Saturday night.
Speaking earlier, a spokeswoman for London Fire Brigade said: "We are treating this as a confirmed chemical incident. The hotel has been evacuated and cordon implemented."
The roads near the hotel were reopened at around 5pm on Sunday.
