U.S. singer Taylor Swift spoke of her horror on Tuesday at the news three girls had been stabbed to death and five other children were critically wounded after a ferocious attack at a dance event in northern England for young fans of her music.
A 17-year-old male is in police custody on suspicion of murder and attempted murder after the incident at the "Taylor Swift yoga and dance workshop" in Southport, north of Liverpool, a summer vacation event for children aged from six to 11 on Monday morning.
Police on Tuesday confirmed a third child had died as a result of injuries sustained in the attack, and named the victims as Bebe King, aged 6, 7-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, aged 9.
"Keep smiling and dancing like you love to do our Princess, like we said before to you, you're always our princess and no one would change that. Love from Your Hero Daddy and Mummy," Aguiar's family said in a statement.
In their tribute, King's family said: "No words can describe the devastation that has hit our family as we try to deal with the loss of our little girl Bebe."
Eight other children also suffered stab wounds and five remained in a critical condition. Two adults were also critically wounded attempting to protect the young victims, police said. Witnesses described what they saw as being like a scene from a horror film.
"The horror of yesterday's attack in Southport is washing over me continuously and I'm just completely in shock," Swift wrote on Instagram.
"These were just little kids at a dance class. I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families."
Her fans have raised more than 125,000 pounds ($160,000) online to help families of the victims and for the hospital where some of the children were being treated.
'DEEP DISTRESS'
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the attack, which police are not treating as terrorism-related, "horrendous", while King Charles and his family expressed their shock.
Merseyside Police said the motive was unclear but said they were not looking for anyone else in connection with the stabbings, amid fevered speculation on social media about the suspect, who was born in Cardiff and lived in a nearby village.
"A name has been shared on social media in connection with the suspect in the incident in Southport," police said. "This name is incorrect, and we would urge people not to speculate on details of the incident while the investigation is ongoing."
The attack has shocked Southport, a quiet seaside town, and the country as a whole. Starmer paid a sombre visit to the scene on Tuesday to lay flowers and to meet police and paramedics who responded to the incident.
"I came here to pay my respects to the victims and families who are going through raw pain and grief that most of us can't imagine, I can't imagine as a dad myself," he told reporters.
"I think about the families, the friends, the loved ones, those directly impacted and of course, the wider community here, but there's no pretending ... that anybody in the country is not untouched by what happened yesterday."
There has been increasing concern at rising levels of stabbings and knife crime in Britain, and the Southport attack follows other recent similar, indiscriminate rampages.
"I am very worried about high levels of knife crime, and I'm absolutely determined that my government will get to grips with it," Starmer said.
($1 = 0.7798 pounds)
