Two children have died and nine are injured after a knife attack at a children’s dance class, police have confirmed.
Six of the children are critically injured, and two adults have also been hurt. All of those injured have been stabbed.
Armed police and paramedics were called to the Hart Space Studios in Southport, Merseyside, following reports of “multiple stabbings” at 11:50am on Monday.
Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy told a press conference the children were attending a Taylor Swift event at a dance school when a 17-year-old with a knife walked in and started to attack.
She said adults “bravely” tried to shield the children during the “horrendous and ferocious attack”.
Earlier, police said a 17-year-old boy from Banks had been arrested.
Eye witnesses described seeing children running into the street covered in blood, with one resident comparing the scene to “something in a horror movie”.
Merseyside police chief constable Serena Kennedy told a press conference: “The investigation is at its early stages and the motivation for the incident remains unclear.
Merseyside police chief constable Serena Kennedy said a 17-year-old boy from Banks, Lancashire, had been arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder over the “ferocious attack”.
She added that he was originally from Cardiff, south Wales.
Peoplesmind