Two youngsters have perished in a “savage” knife assault in Southport during a Taylor Swift-inspired dance and yoga gathering.
Nine additional children were wounded, with six in a critical state. Two adults are also critically injured, according to Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy.
Armed officers apprehended a 17-year-old lad following the incident and confiscated a knife. The attack was not terror-related, police stated.
In total, 11 patients with stab wounds were tended to by the ambulance service, and some were transported to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool, which declared a major incident.
Here is what we know thus far about the attack.
How did it unfold?
Police were summoned to reports of a stabbing on Hart Street in Southport at approximately 11:50 BST on Monday.
Ms Kennedy said officers discovered multiple individuals, many of whom were children, had been subjected to a “savage attack” and had suffered serious injuries.
North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) reported they had treated 11 casualties with stab wounds.
The victims were conveyed to Aintree University Hospital, Southport and Formby Hospital, and Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.
It added that 13 ambulances, specialised resources of its Hazardous Area Response Team (Hart), an air ambulance and doctors were dispatched.
Alder Hey declared a major incident, and advised parents to bring their children to its emergency department only if urgent.
Air ambulance doctors delivered “advanced emergency care” for one patient and accompanied them to hospital by road, the Great North Air Ambulance service reported.
Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy said in addition to the two children who died, nine children were injured in the attack and two adults are also in a critical condition.
Ms Kennedy said the force believes the adults were injured while “bravely” attempting to protect the children.
Where did the attack occur?
The incident took place at a Taylor Swift yoga and dance event aimed at primary school children aged six to 10 in the Hope of Hart Children’s club, Southport.
Southport is situated in the north-west of England, approximately 10 miles north of Liverpool.
Journalist Tim Johnson, of Eye on Southport, arrived at the scene about 20 minutes after the police had been alerted.
He witnessed one girl on a stretcher who was seriously injured, and said “it was horrendous, I’ve never seen anything like it”.
Mr Johnson said paramedics were among “people in tears in the streets”.
What do we know about the suspect?
Merseyside Police confirmed that armed police “detained a 17-year-old male and seized a knife” following the incident, and said there was no wider threat to the public.
The force later stated the lad from Banks, a Lancashire village to the north of Southport, was arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the stabbing. He was originally from Cardiff, they added.
He will be questioned about the incident, and police said they are working to establish the motive for the attack.
Police confirmed that the incident is not currently being treated as terror-related and said no one else is being sought in connection with it.
What have witnesses said?
Eyewitnesses have spoken of horrific scenes in the aftermath of the Southport attack, with one describing it as the “worst thing I’ve seen in my life”.
The attacker, described as wearing a face mask, arrived on Hart Street in a taxi and refused to pay the fare, one witness said.
Multiple people reported seeing several young children bleeding in the road after being stabbed.
Several witnesses also say they heard a woman running down the road screaming “my daughter’s been stabbed”.
Another witness said they took around 10 girls to safety in a nearby house.
A local therapy nurse, who spoke to a mother of one of the victims, says her own daughter heard a “sinister scream” around the time of the attack.
How have leaders reacted?
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called the multiple stabbings “truly awful”.
“I know I speak for everybody in the whole country in saying our thoughts and condolences are with the victims, their families, their friends and the wider community.
“It’s almost impossible to imagine the grief that they’re going through and the trauma that they’re experiencing.”
He also thanked emergency services, who he said had to “respond to the most difficult of circumstances”.
King Charles III has said he and the Queen are “profoundly shocked”.
In a statement posted on X, the King said they send their “heartfelt condolences, prayers and deepest sympathies” to everyone affected by the “appalling attack”.
The Prince and Princess of Wales also sent “love, thoughts and prayers” to the victims of the “heinous” attack in Southport, saying: “As parents, we cannot begin to imagine what the families, friends and loved ones of those killed and injured in Southport today are going through.”
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “The news from Southport is truly devastating. My heart goes out to all the families affected by this horrific incident & to the whole community.”
Southport MP Patrick Hurley added that he was “hoping for the best possible outcomes for the casualties affected”.
Steve Rotheram, mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said he was “deeply concerned” to hear about the incident, and urged the public not to spread “unconfirmed speculation and false information”.
