Two children dead, nine injured in stabbing at dance class in northern England
Agency
30/07/2024 
Merseyside Police increased security around the premises where two children were killed in a knife attack on Monday. - AP photo
LONDON: Two children died and nine others were injured after being attacked while attending a dance class in a town in northern England, on Monday.
In the incident which the local police described as "violent", two of the nine injured victims were reported to be in a critical condition.
The two adults are in a critical condition after being stabbed as they tried to protect the child at a Taylor Swift-themed children's dance class on Hart Street in Southport, Merseyside police said.
According to Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy, the criminal entered the premises armed with a knife and attacked the children.
"It is understood that the child was attending a Taylor Swift themed event at a dance school when a suspect armed with a knife entered the premises and attacked the child.
"We believe the adults who are in critical condition are trying to protect the children from being attacked," he said at a press conference on Monday evening.
In the same development, the BBC news portal reported, a 17-year-old boy from Banks in Lancashire, was arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder.
However, police said the cause of the attack was "unclear" but that it was not believed to be terrorism-related.
One witness described the incident as "horrendous" and said, "never seen anything like it."
The British King and Prime Minister expressed their condolences to all the victims involved in the attack.
"The investigation is still in its early stages and the motive for the incident is still unclear. However, the Northwest Counterterrorism Police have offered their support," said Kennedy.
He added: "As a mother of two daughters and a grandmother of a five-year-old granddaughter, I cannot imagine the pain and suffering the families of the victims are going through and I would like to extend my condolences and sympathies to them." - Agency
