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Three young girls have been killed in a “ferocious” knife attack in Southport at a Taylor Swift-themed dance and yoga event.
Eight more children were injured, with five in a critical condition, after the incident late on Monday morning. Two adults also have critical injuries, Merseyside Police said.
Armed officers detained a male and seized a knife, with police later saying that a 17-year-old boy had been arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder. The attack is not being treated as terror-related, police said.
In total, 11 patients with stab injuries were treated by the ambulance service and some were taken to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool, which declared a major incident.
Here is what we know so far about the attack.
How did the attack unfold?
Police were called to reports of a stabbing at a property on Hart Street in Southport just before 11:50 BST on Monday.
Ms Kennedy said officers were “shocked” to find multiple people, many of whom were children, had been subjected to a “ferocious attack” and had suffered serious injuries.
Police believe a group of children were attending an event at a dance school when a person armed with a knife walked into the building and attacked those inside.
Two adults were critically injured “bravely” trying to protect the children from the attack, police believe.
Two girls, aged six and seven, died on Monday, while a third girl, aged nine, died in hospital early on Tuesday morning from injuries sustained in the attack, police said.
As well as the three children who were killed, eight more suffered stab wounds in the attack and five remain in a critical condition.
North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) said they had treated 11 casualties with stab injuries.
The victims were taken 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 told parents to bring their children to its emergency department only if it is urgent.
Air ambulance doctors delivered “advanced emergency care” for one patient and accompanied them to hospital by road, the Great North Air Ambulance service.
Where did the attack happen?
The incident happened at a Taylor Swift-themed yoga and dance event in the Merseyside town of Southport, about 10 miles north of Liverpool.
The event was taking place at the Hart Space studio, close to a vehicle repair garage, in Hart Street, roughly a mile east of the centre of town.
The holiday club was advertised as including a dance and yoga workshop as well as bracelet making, and aimed at primary school children in Year 2-Year 6.
It is thought to have been fully booked with 25 children attending.
The BBC understands Leanne Lucas, thought to be 35, was running the holiday club. Her condition is not known, however tributes have poured in on social media, praising her for her bravery.
At the scene, flowers and teddies had been left by the police cordon, with one message saying: “Fly high with angels little ones.”
Labour MP for Southport Patrick Hurley, who told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the area is waking up in “shock and grief”, said a vigil will take place on Tuesday evening.
A JustGiving page called Swifties for Southport, set up by fans of the singer to raise money for Alder Hey Children’s Charity, had more than £50,000 in donations as of 12:00 BST on Tuesday.
What do we know about the suspect?
Merseyside Police confirmed that armed police “detained a male and seized a knife” following the incident, and said there was no wider threat to the public.
The force later said a 17-year-old boy 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 remains in custody on Tuesday where he will be questioned about the incident, as police work to establish the motive for the attack.
The BBC understands the teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, moved to the Southport area in 2013. His parents are from Rwanda and he has an older brother also born in Cardiff.
Helen, a neighbour of the family while they lived in Cardiff, has spoken of her shock at hearing the news from Southport.
She told the BBC: “They were a lovely young couple. They were little boys, they were boisterous. Mum was a stay at home mum, Dad was nice, he went to work every day. They had a small family car, a little hatchback.
“They said they’d come from Rwanda and I thought, whatever you’ve been through, you deserve privacy.”
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.
One witness said the person they believed to be the attacker arrived in a taxi wearing a face mask and refused to pay the fare.
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”.
Multiple people reported seeing several young children bleeding in the road after being stabbed.
Journalist Tim Johnson, of Eye on Southport, arrived at the scene about 20 minutes after the police had been called.
He saw 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”.
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
Taylor Swift and leaders react
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Taylor Swift posted on her Instagram story on Tuesday, saying the horror of the attack was “washing over me continuously”, and that she was “completely in shock”.
“These were just little kids at a dance class,” she added. “I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families.”
King Charles III said on Monday night that he and the Queen were “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 visited Southport on Tuesday and laid flowers near the scene, with a message that read: “Bright young lives lost or facing unimaginable trauma.
“My heart goes out to all those grieving and in distress and to the whole community.
“We stand with you in this time of unbearable sadness.”
