Two children dead and nine injured at dance workshop

Two kids have been killed and 9 injured, six critically, in a “ferocious” knife assault at a kids’s dance workshop.

Two adults are additionally in a essential situation after being stabbed as they tried to guard kids on the Taylor Swift-themed occasion on Hart Avenue in Southport, Merseyside Police stated.

A 17-year-old boy, from Banks in Lancashire, has been arrested on suspicion of homicide and tried homicide.

Police stated the motivation for the assault was “unclear” nevertheless it was not being handled as terror-related.

One witness described the scene as “horrendous” and stated they’d “by no means seen something prefer it”.

The King and the prime minister have led tributes to the victims, providing their “heartfelt condolences” to these affected.

Merseyside Police declared a serious incident after receiving emergency calls at 11.47 BST, on what was the primary full week of the varsity summer time holidays for a lot of kids within the UK.

Armed response autos, 13 ambulances and the hearth service rushed to the dance class, which was being held for youngsters aged six to 10.

Chief Constable Serena Kennedy informed a information convention that officers responding to the calls “have been shocked” to search out that a number of folks, a lot of whom have been kids, had been subjected to a “ferocious assault” and had suffered critical accidents.

“It’s understood that the youngsters have been attending a Taylor Swift occasion at a dance college when the offender armed with a knife walked into the premises and began to assault the youngsters,” she stated.

“We consider that the adults who have been injured have been bravely making an attempt to guard the youngsters who have been being attacked.”

She added: “As a mum of two daughters, and the nana of a five-year-old granddaughter, I can’t start to think about the ache and struggling the households of the victims are at the moment going by and I wish to ship them our heartfelt condolences and sympathies”.

Ms Kennedy stated the 17-year-old suspect, who police stated was born in Cardiff, will now be questioned by detectives.

Merseyside Police stated it was not searching for anybody else in reference to the assault and that the “motivation for the incident stays unclear”.

Ms Kennedy added that Counter Terrorism Police North West had supplied their help to Merseyside Police however that the incident was not at the moment being handled as terror-related.

Journalist Tim Johnson, from Eye on Southport, stated the assault occurred on the Hope of Hart kids’s membership, which is housed in a former warehouse constructing on a again road.

“It was horrendous. I’ve by no means seen something prefer it,” Mr Johnson stated.

“There have been so many police automobiles, it was a mass of blue lights. I noticed ambulance women and men in tears. Folks have been in tears within the streets.”

Alder Hey Youngsters’s Hospital declared a “main incident”, whereas the North West Ambulance Service stated it had despatched 13 ambulances to the scene.

Dave Kitchin, head of operations on the ambulance service, stated they handled 11 casualties on the scene, who have been despatched by emergency ambulance and heli-med to Alder Hey and Royal Manchester Youngsters’s hospitals, Aintree College Hospital, Southport and Formby District Common Hospital and Ormskirk District Common Hospital.

He described the scene that met paramedics as “devastating”, including, “little doubt this incident could have an enduring affect on the entire group, and our ideas are very a lot with them at this troublesome time”.

Nice North Air Ambulance Service confirmed its essential care staff was additionally despatched to the scene.

A spokesman added: “We delivered superior emergency care to 1 affected person earlier than accompanying them to hospital by street.”

Colin Parry, proprietor of Masters Automobile Physique Repairs, which is subsequent door to the place the assault occurred, stated that shortly earlier than it started there was a commotion outdoors as a result of a younger man carrying a inexperienced hoodie and a face masks had arrived by taxi however was refusing to pay the motive force.

He stated an worker referred to as him again out a short while later and that he noticed quite a few “younger youngsters, all bleeding”.

“It is like one thing from America, not like sunny Southport.”

Mr Parry informed BBC Radio 5 Reside {that a} builder helped lead a number of the kids away from the scene of the assault and neighbours helped take “about 10 ladies to security”.

“The group was coming collectively, everybody was making an attempt to assist. Everybody was making an attempt to avoid wasting the younger youngsters,” he added.

In a press release on X, The King stated he and his spouse have been “profoundly shocked” to listen to of the “completely horrific incident”.

He added: “We ship our most heartfelt condolences, prayers and deepest sympathies to the households and family members of those that have so tragically misplaced their lives, and to all these affected by this actually appalling assault.”

The Prince and Princess of Wales referred to as the assault “horrid and heinous” including that they have been sending “love, ideas and prayers to all these concerned”.

They stated on X: “As dad and mom, we can’t start to think about what the households, associates and family members of these killed and injured in Southport in the present day are going by.

“Thanks additionally to the emergency responders who, regardless of being met with essentially the most horrific scenes, demonstrated compassion and professionalism when your group wanted you most.”

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer stated: “I do know the entire nation is deeply shocked about what they’ve seen and what they’ve heard.

“I do know I communicate for everybody in the entire nation in saying, our ideas and condolences are with the victims, their households, their associates and the broader group and it’s nearly unattainable to think about the grief that they’re going by, and the trauma that they’re going by.

“I do wish to thank the emergency providers and Merseyside Police who’ve had to answer essentially the most troublesome of circumstances in the present day.”

Southport FC, whose floor is only some streets from the scene of the assault, stated it had cancelled a pre-season pleasant towards Morecambe FC scheduled for Tuesday “out of respect to those that have so tragically misplaced their lives”.

It additionally stated its membership lounge can be open between 10:00 and 15:00 BST on Tuesday and specialist help employees out there for anybody who wished to “collect, share their ideas, and discover help throughout this troublesome time”.

Everton Soccer Membership and Liverpool Soccer Membership additionally supplied their condolences to all these affected.

House Secretary Yvette Cooper stated she was “deeply involved” in regards to the “very critical incident”, whereas Southport MP Patrick Hurley added that he was “hoping for the absolute best outcomes to the casualties affected”.

Steve Rotheram, mayor of Liverpool Metropolis Area, has urged the general public to not unfold “unconfirmed hypothesis and false info”.

Merseyside’s Police and Crime Commissioner Emily Spurrell stated she was “completely shocked and devastated” to listen to of the “actually appalling” incident.

Councillor Marion Atkinson, Chief of Sefton Council, stated the council was “deeply shocked and saddened on the tragic occasions”.

“Our ideas are with all of the victims of this assault and their households,” she stated.

“I’d wish to thank all those that responded to the incident and helped in any approach they might in what will need to have been extraordinarily troublesome circumstances.

“We all know this has triggered concern and upset in the area people and whereas there is no such thing as a rapid menace to the general public we shall be offering assist and help within the coming days and weeks”.

A fundraiser for the victims and their households has been arrange by a gaggle of Taylor Swift followers, named “Swifties for Southport”.

Cristina Jones, from the UK and EU Taylor Swift Fb group informed BBC Newsbeat: “The concept these dad and mom are going by hell proper now and the concept they’d any monetary stress over this breaks our hearts.”

“We won’t make it higher in any approach. However taking away some stress was positively a precedence for us”, she added.

Further reporting by PA Media.