A third child, Alice Dasilva Aguiar died on Tuesday, July 30, from a mass stabbing at a Taylor Swift-themed dance event in northern England, an attack that Prime Minister Keir Starmer described as ”touches a nerve” with the whole country.
Starmer joined many others in paying tribute at the scene of the knife attack in Southport, near Liverpool, which occurred on Monday, July 30, and left five children and two adults critically injured.
Three other children were also hurt.
Starmer thanked emergency workers who responded to the stabbing spree and said “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.”
Police said that 9-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar died in the hospital early Tuesday, July 30. Bebe King, aged six and Elsie Dot Stancombe, aged seven were the two who died on Monday, July 29.
It was learned that a 17-year-old from a nearby village, who was arrested shortly after the incident, remains in custody. He did not disclose his identity.
The police said that the attack is not believed to be “terror-related” and that no other suspects are being sought.
Interior Minister Yvette Cooper mentioned that the police are exploring “every single avenue.”
United State (US) pop star Swift expressed she was “completely in shocked” by “the loss of life and innocence, and the terrible trauma experienced by everyone.”
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,” she added on Instagram.
The third child, Alice Dasilva Aguiar, who died, was the daughter of Portuguese parents from Madeira.
Portugal’s communities minister, Jose Cesario said, “Her parents are in a state of shock.”
Her family said in a tribute, “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.”
Bebe King’s family said, “no words can describe the devastation that has hit our family as try to deal with the loss of our little girl Bebe.”
Residents of the seaside town said that they were struggling to come to terms with the deaths.
The town is in shock and in mourning”, local MP Patrick Hurley told AFP, calling it the “most horrific atrocity that Southport has experienced in living memory”.
It is a “very small town, a close-knit community and everybody will be intimately affected by this”, he added.
Hassan’s daughter was at a nearby nursery, which was locked down after the attack. While her daughter was safe, she noted, “unfortunately, that’s not the case for many parents waking up today.”
Local business owner Colin Parry said that he saw “about 10 kids running past him, all bleeding.”
“One of them collapsed on the ground outside the neighbor’s house,” he said
The teenager who has been arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder is from the neighboring village of Banks but was born in Cardiff, according to police.
His identity has not been revealed. Police said a name shared on social media was “incorrect and we would urge people not to speculate on details of the incident while the investigation is ongoing.”
It was said that the attacker arrived at the scene in a taxi on Monday morning, July 29, and entered the venue wearing a mask.
Armed officers later detained the suspect and confiscated a knife.
While such attacks are uncommon, Monday’s incident has brought back memories of the 1996 school massacre in Dunblane, Scotland, which resulted in the deaths of 16 pupils and their teacher in Britain’s worst mass shooting.
King Charles III expressed his “most heartfelt condolences, prayers, and deepest sympathies” following the “utterly horrific” event.
Heir to the throne, Prince William, and his wife Catherine said “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”.
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