Authorities arrive at the crime scene in Yishun, Singapore. —THE STRAITS TIMES/ANN Photo

SINGAPORE — The Vietnamese Embassy in Singapore is working closely with local authorities to gather information and clarify the circumstances surrounding the fatal stabbing of a 31-year-old Vietnamese woman on Wednesday.

The embassy is also taking necessary steps to provide consular assistance and citizen protection in line with regulations.

According to the Singaporean police, the incident occurred at around 7.25am at Block 323 Yishun Central. At the scene, police found a woman and two men lying injured in a sixth-floor corridor.

The suspect, a 67-year-old man, allegedly used a knife to attack the Vietnamese woman and her husband.

The victim was rushed to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital in an unconscious state and later pronounced dead. Her husband and the suspect were also taken to hospital for treatment of their injuries. Police have arrested the suspect.

Local residents said the couple and the suspect had long been embroiled in disputes over noise, with mediation attempts by local authorities failing.

In July this year, the case had been brought before the Community Disputes Resolution Tribunal for settlement.

A resident at the block, who wanted to be known only as Koh, 69, said there was a dispute between a man and a couple who were his neighbours.

He said: “At around 7am, I heard screams and a commotion, so I went to level six to see what happened. I saw a woman lying unconscious near the lift. She had wounds all over her body and was completely drenched in blood.”

Koh, a business owner, added: “Her husband was trying to fight off a man who was holding a knife. The husband was yelling, ‘Anyone knows CPR? Please help my wife!’.”

He added that as the husband scuffled with the alleged assailant near the lift, one of the neighbours quickly pulled the couple’s young sons into the neighbour’s flat and closed the door.

He said: “The husband tried to fight the man off. But the man grabbed the husband from the back and stabbed him in the chest area. Then another resident tried to split them up by taking the knife from the man and kicking it away.

“The husband was still conscious when the police came, but his wife’s eyes were closed.”

A resident, who lives at Block 322 and who did not want to be identified, said a woman had rushed to his block to take the defibrillator placed there.

“She said someone needed help,” he said.

Photos of the incident showed several people tending to a woman along the corridor while a man covered in blood sat on the ground nearby.

Another photo showed a police officer speaking to a bald man sitting farther away with blood smeared over his legs.

The couple’s children are believed to be about two and five years old.

A resident on the ninth floor of Block 323, who wanted to be known only as Ismail, 65, said: “The dispute between the couple and the man had been going on for years now. The couple usually kept to themselves, but I think the man was not happy with their children playing and making noise.”

Ismail, who is retired and moved to Yishun two years ago, added: “I often see the mother taking her children to childcare in the morning. This estate is usually quite peaceful, so it’s a shock to us that something like this happened.”

Residents said the couple have lived in the estate for around two years, while the alleged attacker has been there for longer. — VNA/THE STRAITS TIMES/ANN