At least eight people, including several children, were injured in a stabbing incident in northwest England on Monday, according to emergency services. Police have apprehended a suspect and confiscated a knife in connection with the attack.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the incident as “horrendous and deeply shocking.”
Merseyside Police reported that officers were dispatched around noon to a location in Southport, a coastal town near Liverpool. The force labeled the situation as a “major incident” but assured there was no broader risk to the public. They advised people to steer clear of the area.
The North West Ambulance Service confirmed that medics treated eight individuals with stab wounds, who were then transported to nearby hospitals, including a pediatric facility.
Reports from the BBC and other outlets indicated that the stabbings occurred at a community center where a Taylor Swift-themed dance and yoga event for young children was taking place.
Bare Varathan, a local shop owner, witnessed between seven and ten children covered in blood fleeing the scene.
“They had been stabbed in multiple places—neck, back, and chest,” he said. “They were all around ten years old. One of them was critically injured.”
Colin Parry, who runs an auto repair shop nearby, remarked that the attack felt “like something out of America, not something that happens in sunny Southport.”