Three young girls have died after a knife attack at a dance studio which left five other children and two adults in a critical condition in hospital.
Bebe King, 6, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, were killed in the stabbing in Southport on Monday.
The victims were named by Merseyside Police, who have arrested a 17-year-old boy on suspicion of murder and attempted murder.
In a tribute, a family member said Alice was “a happy smiley girl who had a bright life ahead of her”, while Bebe’s family said “no words” could describe the “loss of our little girl”.
The family of six-year-old Bebe King, the youngest of the three girls killed, has shared a tribute after her death.
They said “no words can describe the devastation that has hit our family as we try to deal with the loss of our little girl Bebe.”
Marshside Primary School, where she was a pupil, was “deeply saddened by the awful news that we have lost one of our brightest and most wonderful shining stars”, headteacher Natasha Sandland said.
“Words cannot do justice to describe the grief and upset our Marshside community are feeling today,” she said.
The school community is focused on supporting her family and friends, school staff, and “our community who have been left numb by this tragic incident”, Ms Sandland said.
Elsie Dot Stancombe, a pupil at Farnborough Road Infant School, has been described as “such a caring and charismatic young lady who loved to please” by her school.
In a tribute, headteacher Jennifer Sephton said Elsie had been a “loving and bright member of our wonderful community” since she was “first brought here on her father’s shoulders”.
The school was “heartbroken and devastated” by her death, she added.
“We will miss you dearly Elsie. You were one of a kind.”
The family of Alice Dasilva Aguiar, who died from her injuries early on Tuesday, said in a tribute: “Keep smiling and dancing like you love to do our Princess, like we said before to you, you’re always our princess and no one would change that.
“Love from Your Hero Daddy and Mummy.”
Portugal Communities Minister Jose Cesario said his government would continue to give the family “the support they need”.
In a TV interview in Portugal, he said the parents of the nine-year-old were in a “state of shock”.
A crowdfunding page has been set up by the employers of one of Alice’s parents, Benridge Care Group and Good Companions.
It said they were “completely stunned by the tragic loss of Alice”.
“She has been a part of the Good Companions family since she was a baby.”
Leanne Lucas, a 35-year-old yoga teacher, was described as in a “critical condition” in the aftermath of the mass stabbing.
Speaking to the BBC on Wednesday, her cousin Chris Rimmer called her a “hero” and said she had “shielded two girls” during the attack.
He said she was recovering but was “not out of the woods yet”.
Mr Rimmer said the family were “torn apart” by the ordeal but had congregated at home for comfort while Ms Lucas’s mother, father and sister stayed at her bedside in hospital.
“Everyone sat in this house right now is just concentrating on getting her home and concentrating on her [recovering enough] that we can see her,” he added
Jonathan Hayes, who runs a business next door to the dance studio where the attack took place, was in a critical condition after being stabbed in the leg.
From his hospital bed after undergoing major surgery, he told the BBC he was “saddened” he could not have done more to protect the victims.
Mr Hayes said he did not see himself as a hero, as some press reports were portraying him.
Instead, he said: “Some would say confronting a guy wielding a hunting knife is utter madness.”
As he tried to step in to save children, he came under attack himself.
He had surgery on Tuesday and said he expected to be in hospital for some time because he currently “can’t walk”.
A spokeswoman for Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool said two of the seven children who had been admitted there for treatment remained in “critical care, but currently in a stable condition”.
One adult remains in a critical condition after the North West Ambulance Service confirmed on Monday that victims were taken to Alder Hey, Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, Aintree University Hospital, Southport and Formby District General Hospital and Ormskirk District General Hospital.
Police have been granted more time to question a 17-year-old boy who has been in custody since he was arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder in Southport on Monday.
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