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Eight people have been rushed to hospital, apparently including children, and a man has been detained after a stabbing in north-west England.
Merseyside police rushed to Hart Street in Southport, north of Liverpool, just before midday today (9pm AEST) after reports of a stabbing.
"There are a number of reported casualties and more details will be confirmed when possible," police said in a statement released a bit more than an hour later.
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Armed officers seized a knife and detained a man, who was taken to a nearby police station, police said.
Locals were asked to avoid the area but police said there was no further threat to the public.
"The mothers are coming here now and screaming," Hart Street business owner Colin Parry told PA Media.
"It is like a scene from a horror movie," the Masters Vehicle Body Repairs owner said.
"Police have got him. It's like something from America, not like sunny Southport."
A nearby resident told the Liverpool Echo she heard "loads of sirens" and a helicopter overhead.
"Then the messages started to go around the local WhatsApp groups, saying 'lock your windows, lock your doors', we were told a man was running around stabbing people," she said.
"We are all absolutely terrified, panicking and sick with worry – everyone is trying to reach anyone they know in the area. I don't know how this can happen on a Monday lunchtime."
North West Ambulance Service classified the stabbing as a "major incident", sending 13 ambulances and an air ambulance.
Eight patients were treated for stab wounds and taken to three different hospitals, including the Alder Hey Children's Hospital.
That hospital also declared a "major incident" and said its emergency department was "extremely busy".
"We ask parents to only bring their children to the Emergency Department if it is urgent," the hospital trust said in a statement.
Labour MP for Southport Patrick Hurley said he was "deeply concerned".
"I am hoping for the best possible outcomes to the casualties affected. My thoughts go out to all those affected, their loved ones and to the entire community," he said, on X, formerly Twitter.
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