stabbing attack in UK dance class leaves 3 dead

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A 9-year-old girl wounded in a stabbing attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance and yoga class in northwestern England died Tuesday, bringing the death toll to three, as police questioned a 17-year-old suspect arrested minutes after the rampage.

The girl was identified as Alice Aguiar by Portuguese Secretary of State for Communities Jose Cesario. He said her family, who were originally from the Madeira region, were in a state of shock.

Merseyside Police said the other fatalities were girls ages 6 and 7.

Eight children and two adults remain hospitalized after the attack in Southport. Both adults and five of the children are in critical condition.

Swift said she was "completely in shock" and still taking in "the horror" of the event.

"These were just little kids at a dance class," she wrote on Instagram. "I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families."

A 17-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder.

Local people left flowers and stuffed animals in tribute at a police cordon on the street lined with brick houses in the seaside resort near Liverpool ? nicknamed "sunny Southport" ? whose beach and pier attract vacationers from across northwest England.

Witnesses described scenes "from a horror movie" as bloodied children ran from the attack just before noon on Monday. The suspect was arrested soon after on suspicion of murder and attempted murder. Police said he was born in Cardiff, Wales, and had lived for years in a village about 5 kilometers (3 miles) from Southport. He has not yet been charged.

Police said detectives are not treating Monday's attack as terror-related and they are not looking for any other suspects.

"We believe the adults who were injured were bravely trying to protect the children who were being attacked," Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy said.

People posted online tributes and messages of support for teacher Leanne Lucas, the organizer of the event, who was one of those attacked.

A group of Swift's U.K. fans calling themselves "Swifties for Southport" launched an online fundraiser to help families of the victims. It raised over 100,000 pounds ($129,000) within 24 hours.

The rampage is the latest shocking attack in a country where a recent rise in knife crime has stoked anxieties and led to calls for the government to do more to clamp down on bladed weapons, which are by far the most used instruments in U.K. homicides.