Three children are dead in Southport, England, after a stabbing attack at a Taylor Swift-themed event. The attack also left eight others injured in what is now considered one of the worst assaults against children seen in decades.

Prime Minister Kier Starmer commented on the attack, calling it “truly awful.” King Charles III said he was “profoundly shocked” by the “horrific incident.”

Police reported on Monday that two girls, aged 6 and 7, were killed, and six of the nine injured were in critical condition. The following day, officers confirmed that a 9-year-old girl had also died from her injuries.

According to police, two adults were critically injured while “bravely trying to protect the children who were being attacked.”

Keir Starmer is heckled by onlookers as he lays flowers at the scene of the Southport knife attack.@LBC @LBCNews pic.twitter.com/ZTPeWOL4Ew

— Liam Gotting (@GlobalGotting) July 30, 2024

Merseyside Police stated the incident occurred during a Taylor Swift event at a dance school in Southport on Monday morning. The force received a call for assistance just before midday. Emergency services, including 13 ambulances and other specialized resources, responded to the scene, and a “major incident” was declared.

The names of the victims have since been released, having been identified as Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, Bebe King, 5, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7.

Police say a 17-year-old was arrested at the scene on “suspicion of murder and attempted murder.”

According to the Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy, the suspect was originally from Cardiff, Wales.

The attack is the worst mass stabbing attack against children possibly ever.

Knife crimes in England have nearly doubled over the last 10 years, according for the Office for National Statistics, CNN reported. Over 25% of the incidents took place in London.

Taylor Swift, whose music was the theme of the dance class that was targeted in the attack, expressed her horror on Tuesday, stating she was “completely in shock.”

“The horror of yesterday’s attack in Southport is washing over me continuously, and I’m just completely in shock. The loss of life and innocence, and the horrendous trauma inflicted on everyone who was there, the families, and first responders. 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,” Swift wrote on Instagram on Tuesday.