Eamonn Holmes has spoken out on a knife attack in Southport that left two children dead and six critically injured.
A 17-year-old suspect, born in Cardiff, is being held on suspicion of murder and attempted murder after the incident in Hart Street, Southport, Merseyside, police said.
Speaking on GB News, Eamonn sent his thoughts to a community left reeling by the devastating attack.
“On what should be a very happy, sunny day, Britain is a very sad country”, he said.
Eamonn Holmes was left heartbroken by yesterday's events in Southport
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“What’s going through people’s minds is, they are grieving for the people lost and those who have lost people, but they’re also thinking, ‘that could have been my child’.
“We’re all stunned by this, shocked by this and sickened by this. We’re all asking, ‘why, why, why?’”
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The suspected teenage knifeman attacked a Taylor Swift-themed holiday dance class.
The ages and genders of those killed have not been disclosed by police, who said they are not treating the incident as terror-related but the motive “remains unclear”.
Two adults were also left in a critical condition after attempting to protect the youngsters.
The police are now stationed outside an address in Banks, outside Southport, where the suspect is from.
Police at the scene in SouthportPAMerseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy, giving a statement to media in Southport on Monday evening, said officers were called to a “ferocious” attack.
She said: “When they arrived, they were shocked to find that multiple people, many of whom were children, had been subjected to a ferocious attack and had suffered serious injuries.
“It is understood the children were attending a Taylor Swift event at a dance school when the offender armed with a knife walked into the premises and started to attack the children inside.
“As a mum of two daughters, and the nanna of a five-year-old grand-daughter, I cannot begin to imagine the pain and suffering the families of the victims are currently going through, and I want to send them our heartfelt condolences and sympathies.”
GB News's Sophie Reaper reported from the scene in Southport
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Police did not take questions from the press about the incident.
All the casualties are now being treated in hospitals, including children’s hospitals in Liverpool and Manchester.
Emergency services described a “horrific” and “chaotic” scene as they arrived at the children’s club.