People reported injured in stabbings in Birmingham: UK police

LONDON:

Police in the English city of Birmingham declared a “major incident” after reports that a number of people were injured in stabbings early on Sunday, with the cause of the incidents as yet unclear.

“We can confirm that at approximately 12:30 a.m. today we were called to reports of a stabbing in Birmingham city centre,” West Midlands Police said in a statement. “A number of other stabbings were reported in the area shortly after.

“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.”

Emergency services were working at the scene to ensure those who were injured were receiving medical care, the statement said.

West Midlands Mayor Andy Street said the series of incidents in the Hurst Street area of the city centre appeared to be related but the motivation for them was not yet understood.

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“At this early stage it would not be appropriate to speculate on the causes of the incident,” the police said.

A witness told the BBC she saw “multiple people having fist fights”.

Police said cordons were in place and there were some road closures in the city.

The BBC said the cordon was near the area known as the Gay Village in the centre of Birmingham, where many people had been seated at outdoor tables eating and drinking.