Six stabbed to death on British island of Jersey

[News_Editor]

Six stabbed to death on British island of Jersey

2011-08-15 09:38:47 GMT+7 (ICT)

SAINT HELIER, JERSEY (BNO NEWS) -- Six people including three children were stabbed to death on the Channel Island of Jersey on Sunday, police said. A suspect has been arrested.

Police said they were called to a street in Saint Helier, the capital of Jersey, just before 3 p.m. local time on Sunday after receiving a phone call about a stabbing incident. Responding officers found people had been stabbed on both the street and inside a flat.

Five people were confirmed dead at the scene while a woman later died while undergoing surgery at St Helier Hospital. The victims were described as three young children, two women, and one man.

"Police are still trying to confirm the identity of the victims, who are all believed to be Jersey residents and investigations continue to establish exactly what happened," a police spokesperson said.

A 30-year-old injured man was immediately arrested at the scene and remained in police custody at the General Hospital on early Monday morning. "He has undergone surgery and is said to be in a stable, but serious condition," police said.

"Clearly this complex investigation is in its very early stages as we try to establish exactly what happened. We are appealing to anyone who may have any information to contact us," said Head of Crime Services Stewart Gull. "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."

Several witnesses have already come forward and were being interviewed by police on Sunday evening. "Forensic officers are at the scene, together with a number of uniformed officers and detectives," police said, adding that a major incident room had been set up at the police headquarters in St Helier.

Jersey is a British island off the coast of Normandy, France and has a population of more than 92,000. Together with Guernsey, the islands form the group known as the Channel Island.

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