At least eight people were injured in a knife attack on Monday in a seaside town near the northern English city of Liverpool, according to statements from the local police and ambulance service.

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The victims most likely included children, as some were taken to Liverpool’s Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, according to a statement from the North West Ambulance Service, which responded to the attack.

The stabbings took place just before noon, according to the Merseyside Police, who oversee law enforcement in the region. The police said they had been called to a property on Hart Street after receiving reports of a stabbing.

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“There are a number of reported casualties and more details will be confirmed when possible,” the police said in a statement. The police said they had detained a man and seized a knife, and they assured the public that there was “no wider threat.”

Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, in a statement, said there was a “major incident” at the hospital as it dealt with the emergency response.

Yvette Cooper, Britain’s home secretary, spoke in front of Parliament on Monday afternoon, saying she was “deeply concerned” about the incident in Southport and that she had spoken with the local authorities to convey the government’s “full support.”

A number of eyewitnesses told local news outlets that they had seen injured people on the street.

Colin Parry, the owner of a vehicle repair shop on Hart Street, where the police said the incident took place, told Sky News, “It is like a scene from a horror movie.”

Bare Varathan, 35, who owns a corner store on Hart Street, told The Telegraph that he had seen a number of bleeding children on the street. He also said he saw armed police officers remove a man from a building.

By Monday afternoon, large stretches of the typically quiet, largely residential street were blocked off by blue-and-white police tape. Police vehicles and fire trucks remained at the scene, visible in broadcasts carried by British news networks.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he had seen the “horrendous and deeply shocking news emerging from Southport” in a post on X. “My thoughts are with all those affected. I would like to thank the police and emergency services for their swift response,” he added. “I am being kept updated as the situation develops.”

At least one event for children was being held near Hart Street at the time of the attack.

A class for children 6 to 11 was taking place at Hart Space, a yoga and community studio in a building just off Hart Street.

Schools in the area had recently begun their summer break, and the studio was hosting a sold-out, Taylor Swift-themed yoga and dance workshop for children on Monday morning, according to a since-deleted post on its Facebook page.

Last updated on November 15th, 2024 at 11:22 am