A nine-year-old girl died on Tuesday in the “ferocious” stabbing incident in Southport, north-west England, taking the death toll to three after two children -- girls aged six and seven -- were killed on the spot.
Five others continue to fight for their lives as Merseyside Police detectives question a 17-year-old male arrested on suspicion of murder to try and establish the motive behind the attack at a children's dance workshop at Hart Street on Monday.
The police force on Tuesday reiterated the incident is “not currently being treated as terror-related and we are not looking for anyone else in connection with it”.
In its update on the investigation, Merseyside Police said the third child died as a result of injuries sustained in the knife attack in the early hours of this morning.
Eight other children suffered stab wounds during the attack, five of whom remain in a “critical condition”. Two adults are also in critical condition after being injured during the incident.
“A name has been shared on social media in connection with the suspect in the incident in Southport. This name is incorrect and we would urge people not to speculate on details of the incident while the investigation is ongoing,” the police statement said, concerning the suspect who remains in custody.
The children, aged between six and 11 years, were attending a summer holiday workshop themed around singer Taylor Swift's music.
"A 17-year-old male from Banks in Lancashire, who was born in Cardiff (Wales), 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,” Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy told reporters, giving details of what she said was a "ferocious" attack.
"It is understood that the children were attending a Taylor Swift event at a dance school when the offender, who was armed with a knife, walked into the premises and started to attack those inside. We believe that the adults who were injured were trying to protect the children at the time they were attacked,” she said.
"As a mum of two daughters, and the nanna of a five-year-old granddaughter, I cannot begin to imagine the pain and suffering the families of the victims are currently going through and I want to send them our heartfelt condolences and sympathies,” she added.
The royal family, including King Charles, Queen Camilla and the Prince and Princess of Wales, issued statements expressing their shock and sadness at the “utterly horrific” incident.
“We send our most heartfelt condolences, prayers and deepest sympathies to the families and loved ones of those who have so tragically lost their lives and to all those affected by this truly appalling attack,” reads the King's message.
On a personal note, Prince William and Kate Middleton said that as parents they "could not begin to imagine” what the families of the children were going through.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the whole country had been "deeply shocked" by the attack.
"I know I speak for everybody in the whole country in saying our thoughts and condolences are with the victims, their families, their friends and the wider community. It's almost impossible to imagine the grief that they're going through and the trauma that they are going through," he said.
Opposition Leader Rishi Sunak also expressed his shock over the “horrendous attack” and thanked the emergency services for their response.
Singer Taylor Swift has said the knife attack at a dance workshop themed around her music which left three children dead and nine more injured has left her "completely in shock".
Posting on Instagram, the star said she was "at a complete loss" for how to convey her sympathies.
She said the "horrendous trauma inflicted on everyone who was there" had left her at a "complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families".
Meanwhile, flowers, notes and cards expressing an outpouring of grief have been piling up at the site of the attack, a community centre used regularly by the locals including for mother and child events. The local Labour MP, Patrick Hurley, said the community was waking up in "shock and grief" after the brutal stabbings and that a vigil is planned for Tuesday night in support of the victims and their families and friends.
Several witnesses described horrific scenes as a knifeman launched the attack, with bleeding children seen on the street as they ran out of the community centre to flee the attacker. Horror-struck and screaming parents were seen rushing about, with locals trying to help the injured children. The dance class is believed to have been fully booked with 25 young children in attendance.
A police cordon remains in place around the scene at Hart Street in Southport, a seaside town north of Liverpool – referred to as Merseyside.
