Passengers on a train headed for London experienced panic and mayhem on Saturday night following a mass stabbing that resulted in ten hospitalised individuals, nine of whom had life threatening injuries. A man with a big knife walked through the carriages, causing passengers to flee for their lives, according to witness accounts of terrifying sights.
"They've got a knife, I've been stabbed," a man who was "extremely bloodied" staggered across the carriage, according to a passenger who spoke to Sky News. "That person ended up collapsing on the floor," he remarked. They were almost immediately transported to an ambulance. Others remembered the perpetrator moving through carriages while people ran through the train to get away.
Another passenger, Wren Chambers, told the BBC that they fled to the front of the train when they saw a man running past with a bloodied arm and yelling, "They've got a knife, run."
"Once we realized what was going on, we were pretty scared," Chambers remarked. "We managed to exit the train without any injuries." Armed officers stormed the station when the train came to an emergency stop in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire.
Police were "directing their weapons at a man on the platform with a large blade," according to a witness. Eventually, the person was "tasered and restrained," according to Gavin, another traveler.
Then they arrested him while he was brandishing a huge knife. He told Sky News, "I believe it was a Taser that ultimately brought him down."
As the attack progressed, passengers reported seeing "blood everywhere" and people cowering in restrooms. Others were being "stamped on" in the haste to flee, one person told The Times. The terror was characterized by another as "like something from a film really violent."
Nine of the ten individuals who were transported to the hospital had "life threatening injuries," according to British Transport Police. Although the motivation is still unknown, counterterrorism police are supporting the inquiry. In the event of a possible terror attack, the national "Plato" emergency response protocol was triggered.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer praised emergency personnel for their prompt action, calling the situation "appalling" and "deeply concerning." He declared, "My thoughts are with all those affected."
The train is still blocked off as a major crime scene, and police have detained two suspects at the spot and are still investigating it. According to the East of England Ambulance Service, flying ambulances and tactical teams were part of a "large scale response."
Paul Bristow, the mayor of Cambridgeshire, acknowledged seeing "horrendous scenes" and expressed his "thoughts and prayers" for those hurt.
