TRANSCRIPT
A Taylor Swift-themed dance class in England's northwest has turned into a violent scene, with two children dead and another nine injured.
Two adults, who attempted to protect the children, are also in hospital with life-threatening wounds after being stabbed.
The incident is said to have occurred when a 17 year-old male armed with a knife invaded the premises of the dance school and began assaulting the children.
Colin Parry, the owner of a nearby store and one of the witnesses, describes what happened.
“I called the police. There's many people on the phone at that point because it was like a bomb had gone off, girls' bodies all over the place. Me, one of my colleagues that works with me, James, he brought one of the girls out of the building. She didn't look good at all, poor kid."
Police and ambulance services rushed to the scene as teachers and parents tried to protect the children from the offender.
The attacker has been arrested on charges of murder and attempted murder.
Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy says officers were horrified when they arrived at the scene.
“My officers were called to reports of a stabbing at 11:47 this morning at an address in Southport. When they arrived, they were shocked to find that multiple people, many of whom were children, had been subjected to a ferocious attack and had suffered serious injuries. It is understood that the children were attending a Taylor Swift event at a dance school when the offender, armed with a knife, walked into the premises and started to attack, inside, the children. We believe that the adults who were injured were bravely trying to protect the children who were being attacked. As a mum and a nana, I can't begin to imagine the pain and suffering that the families of the victims are going through at this moment in time.”
The young man arrested hasn't been officially identified and the reason for the attack remains unclear.
But authorities have already ruled out the possibility of a terrorism incident.
"A 17-year-old male from Banks in Lancashire, who is originally from Cardiff, has been arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder and has been taken to a police station where he will be interviewed by detectives.”
Reports say there were 13 ambulances attending, with paramedics attempting to treat children and adults who had received serious injuries.
Six people are still being treated in hospital as their lives remain at risk.
Some parents, such as Joanne Niemen, say they were notified about the incident while they were at work and rushed over to protect their kids.
“I got a call from a very, very good friend of mine, (I) was in work, completely oblivious to it and as soon as she told me, I literally ran out of work. I don't know how I managed to drive that, to be fair. My priority was just my girls, my girls, my girls. I knew my eldest daughter was taking her to a friend's house. And I'm just so thankful to God that they're safe."
The incident occurred on Hart Street in Southport, one of Merseyside's quieter areas.
Local resident Fran Gregson says this incident will have a lasting impact on the local community.
“Well, this is a family road. Most of these houses are either families or the grandparents of kids who were brought up on this road. So virtually every house is family orientated. So it will be very shocking to them. I mean, I'm not, I don't have children. So in a way it doesn't have quite the same effect. But it is heavily, I would think 90% of the houses have children or grandchildren."
King Charles III and his wife Camilla, the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Mayor of Liverpool City and other high-profile figures have expressed their condolences to the families of those affected by the incident.
British prime minister Sir Keir Starmer says the entire nation shares in their grief.
"My message is really to convey, what they would want me to convey, which is their thoughts and condolences to the families in particular. It is impossible to imagine what they are going through right now, the wider community, the friends of course, the victims who have got terrible injuries. So I think everybody would want to send those thoughts and condolences. But I do also think about the emergency responders because they have responded to an awful incident today and I want to thank them for the professionalism that they have shown in doing so."
