Six people are killed in Jersey multiple stabbing

Police at Victoria Crescent, St Helier, Jersey, after six people died in a knife attack (PA)

Six people were killed in a multiple stabbing incident at a flat in Jersey yesterday afternoon.

Two children were said to be among the victims of the attack, along with two men and two women. The identities and ages of the deceased have yet to be confirmed.

Police called to a flat at Upper Midvale Road, St Helier, just after 3pm amid reports of a multiple stabbing.

One woman was left critically ill in the attack, but died shortly after at Jersey Hospital.

A 30-year-old man was under arrest at the same hospital last night, where he is recovering from surgery, according to police. Few details about the incident were known last night, but locals claim the victims were all members of the same family. Eyewitness Andre Thorpe said he arrived in Victoria Crescent in St Helier at about 3pm this afternoon.

He said: "For Jersey it was a major incident. Two ambulances turned up first because it was within a quarter of mile of the ambulance station. Then four or five police vehicles came, all blues and twos.

"They were trying to access a private house in the crescent. It was an old Victorian terrace, a lot of them are split into flats." He added: "I saw police come running out with a child, it was a small child, I just saw the legs. They went off in an ambulance."

Mr Thorpe said he believed all the victims were members of the same family. A neighbour said she believed the family were Polish.

A major incident room has been set up at police headquarters in St Helier, and police said last night that a number of witnesses have come forward and police are working to identify the victims.

Head of crime services Stewart Gull, who is leading the inquiry, said: "Clearly this complex investigation is in its very early stages as we try to establish exactly what happened. We are mindful, too, of the impact of any such serious and tragic incident on the local community, and we have police officers in the area to support the investigation and local people."

Jersey Hospital emergency department was closed for two hours because of the number of victims.

As a Crown Dependency, Jersey is not part of the UK, nor a colony or overseas territory, but the Crown is responsible for defence, diplomatic representation and citizenship.