A police officer and vehicles are seen at a cordon in Irving Street in Birmingham after a number of people were stabbed in the city centre, Sunday, Sept. 6, 2020. British police say that multiple people have been injured in a series of stabbings in a busy nightlife area of the central England city of Birmingham.(Jacob King/PA via AP)
LONDON — British police declared a “major incident” early on Sunday after multiple people were stabbed in the center of England’s second city Birmingham.
“We can confirm that at approximately 12:30 am today (Sunday 6 September) we were called to reports of a stabbing in Birmingham city center,” West Midlands Police said in a statement.
“A number of other stabbings” were reported in the area shortly after and “this has been declared a major incident,” the statement added.
“We are aware of a number of injured people, but at the moment we are not in a position to say how many or how serious.
“However, all emergency services are working together at the scene, and making sure that those who are injured receive medical care.”
Footage aired on British television news channels showed large areas of the city center cordoned off as police officers wearing forensic suits worked at the scene.
“Work is still going on to establish what has happened, and could take some time before we are in a position to confirm anything,” West Midlands Police said.
“At this early stage, it would not be appropriate to speculate on the causes of the incident.”