A man has died, as a result of a series of stabbings in the early hours of Sunday in Birmingham, which are currently being investigated, local police reported. Another man and a woman have suffered serious injuries and five others have sustained milder ones.
Police have declared a major incident in Birmingham city centre after West Midlands police officers were called over reports of multiple stabbings there at 12:30am on Sunday.
"We immediately attended, along with colleagues from the ambulance service," their statement reads.
The force noted that work is underway to establish what has happened, and could take some time before the officers are in a position to confirm anything. For now, the force has assumed the attacks are not related to terrorism or hate crime, according to PA Media.
"At this early stage it would not be appropriate to speculate on the causes of the incident," police said.
Officers set up a cordon at the junction of Hurst Street, a well-known nightlife area in the downtown area, and Bromsgrove Street. Police continue to hold a number of scenes across the city, including Livery Street, Irving Street and Hurst Street, West Midlands police units said in a statement.
Police urged people to remain calm and stay away from the area as multiple cordons are still in place.
Around the time of the incident, many people were sitting at outdoor tables eating and drinking on Saturday evening, BBC reported. The streets in the area had already been closed to traffic due to coronavirus restrictions.
There were reportedly claims gunshots were fired, but officers have dismissed these reports.