A young woman died and her sister was in a serious condition after the two were stabbed in an apartment, only three weeks after arriving in Canada from Taiwan to learn English.

"The crime scene looks consistent with a struggle and there is a substantial amount of blood," Detective Gary Giroux said Thursday.

The victims' screams early Thursday awakened neighbors in the building, including maintenance worker Philip Chan, who used his keys to enter the apartment shortly after the incident.

Inside the apartment, a shocked Chan discovered 18-year-old Tina Wu lying on the floor awash in blood, Chan's wife, Margaret, said. Wu's 14-year-old sister was badly wounded.

On Thursday, police interviewed neighbors to uncover information about the attacker, said Giroux. He added that police hope the surviving sister can describe the assailant.

In Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) was doing all it could to help the family of the two sisters, said Minister of Foreign Affairs Tien Hung-mao (バグ璟), in Taipei yesterday.

MOFA headquarters in Taipei is helping the sisters' parents expedite entrance visas from the Canadian government, Tien said.

Radio station 680 News reported Thursday that the sexual assault squad had joined the investigation.

Police scoured the area Thursday, giving special attention to the outside window of the apartment, which could have been used as an entry point, Giroux said. No murder weapon has been discovered. Police were still searching for the suspect as of Thursday afternoon.

The teenagers were staying in an aunt's apartment while she was vacationing in Taiwan.