Nine people have been left with life-threatening injuries after a mass stabbing on a train near Cambridge in the UK.
Ten people have been taken to hospital, with nine believed to be fighting for their lives, after the alleged attack on board a train from Doncaster to Kings Cross in London, British Transport Police said.
Two people have been arrested in connection with the incident, police said.
There have been no confirmed fatalities.
Police have now declared a major incident and counter-terrorism officers are now assisting with the investigation, but no motive has yet been confirmed.
“This is a shocking incident and first and foremost my thoughts are with those who have been injured this evening and their families,” Chief Superintendent Chris Casey said.
“We’re conducting urgent enquiries to establish what has happened, and it could take some time before we are in a position to confirm anything further.
“At this early stage it would not be appropriate to speculate on the causes of the incident.
“Our response is ongoing at the station and will be for some time.
“Cordons are in place and trains are not currently running through the area, and there are also some road closures.
“I thank the public for their patience and their cooperation this evening which has already greatly assisted our policing response.
“We will update you again as soon as we have more information.”
British Transport Police previously said on X that officers are “currently responding to an incident on a train to Huntingdon where multiple people have been stabbed”.
Cambridgeshire Constabulary, the local police force, said armed police attended after officers were called to the scene at Huntingdon station at 7.39pm local time on Saturday.
The two people were arrested at the station, which is around 120km north of London.
The train was the 6.25pm service travelling from Doncaster to London King’s Cross, British Transport Police confirmed.
“Armed officers attended and the train was stopped at Huntingdon, where two men were arrested. A number of people have been taken to hospital,” Cambridge Police said in a statement.
“The incident remains ongoing, and the A1307 has been closed as you approach the town centre.”
East of England Ambulance Service confirmed multiple people have been transported to hospital.
Paul Bristow, the mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, said in a post on X that he had heard of reports of “horrendous scenes” on the train.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the incident “deeply concerning.”
“My thoughts are with all those affected, and my thanks go to the emergency services for their response. Anyone in the area should follow the advice of the police,” he said on X.
British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said she was “deeply saddened to hear about the stabbings,” and that her “thoughts go out to all those affected”,
“Two suspects have been immediately arrested and taken into custody,” she said in a post on X.
Mahmood said she is receiving regular updates on the investigation and urged people to avoid “speculation at this early stage” as to what was behind the stabbings.
Conservative party leader Kemi Badenoch also responded to the incident in a post on X.
“This is an absolutely horrific attack and my thoughts are with all those affected including the emergency responders at the scene,” Badenoch wrote.
The East Coast Main Line is one of the UK’s busiest and most important railway routes.
It connects major cities, running from London King’s Cross to Edinburgh Waverly in Scotland.https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/PwDC5/1/
The rail company that operates trains on the East Coast Mainline, London North Eastern Railway (LNER), put out a statement on X.
“We are experiencing major disruption across the LNER route,” the train company said.
“Emergency services are dealing with an incident at Huntingdon station; all lines are blocked,” LNER added.
“Our advice is ‘Do Not Travel’. Please defer your travel where you can,” the company said.
