Taylor Swift has issued a statement following yesterday's (July 29) mass stabbing at a dance and yoga class themed around her music that resulted in the deaths of three children at the Hart Space dance studio in Southport, England.
"The horror of yesterday's attack in Southport is washing over me continuously, and I'm just completely in shock… The loss of life and innocence, and the horrendous trauma inflicted on everyone who was there, the families, and first responders," the pop star shared today via her Instagram Story. "These were just little kids at a dance class. I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families."
As the BBC reports, the three children were little girls — Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice Dasilva Aguiar — aged six, seven and nine, respectively. Police at the scene seized a knife and apprehended a suspect, a 17-year-old boy from Cardiff, but the motivations behind the attack remain "unclear" and it's currently not being treated as terror-related.
As of this writing, five children and two adults remain in critical condition. A fundraising campaign benefitting the Alder Hey Children's Hospital has been launched to help cover funeral costs, and has now raised over £124,548 — surpassing its original target of £13,000.