A boy is fighting for his life after he was allegedly disembowelled when he was stabbed on a south London housing estate.
He was one of four children who were taken to hospitals in south London following the incident at Landor House, Camberwell yesterday.
All the boys are aged between 15 and 16 years old and six attackers of the same age have been taken into custody.
Giving an update on the conditions of the boys who were injured, police this morning said: One remains critical, one is in a serious but stable condition and the remaining two did not suffer serious injuries.
A teenager was heard crying help, help before he was stabbed, according to witnesses.
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Another witness said they saw one of the boys collapse and his intestines were falling onto the ground.
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Residents of the Elmington Estate in Camberwell told how they saw a group of boys running minutes before police arrived on the scene after being called shortly before 5.25pm on Thursday.
Scotland Yard said six males were arrested and are being held in custody while four others, believed to be teenagers, were taken to south London hospitals.
Witnesses who saw the aftermath described at least one teenager who appeared to be seriously hurt.
That particular one, I hope he does live but by the looks of it and the way the ambulance had to struggle I would give it just an 8% (chance), said a 25-year-old woman, who did not want to be identified. It was very traumatising.
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The crime scene – littered with bloodied clothing, trainers and medical equipment – is just a short walk from Warham Street, where 23-year-old drill rapper Sidique Kamara, also known as Incognito, was stabbed to death on August 1.
A witness to Thursdays quadruple stabbing said he did not think any of those involved lived on the estate.
Ten minutes before the stabbing I saw a whole heap of youths run down that way, said the man, who asked not to be named, indicating towards the crime scene.
Then 10 minutes later I heard people shouting and bawling out the back there. When I looked round the back there, I saw the youth come running from the block.
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He came to the corner and dropped. He was holding his belly and all of his intestines were falling on the ground.
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Another neighbour, who did not give her name, described seeing boys running on the grass opposite her flat shortly before the stabbing.
There were four or five black boys running. All of a sudden I could hear, Help, help, she said. I have walked up and as I did I have seen the police running.
One of the police officers got a first aid bag and I saw one of the boys lying on the floor.
Harriet Harman, MP for Camberwell and Peckham, said she was very concerned by the quadruple stabbing and is in contact with police and councillors.
Witnesses described a large police presence minutes after the incident as officers and medics from the London Ambulance Service arrived on the scene.
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Superintendent Annmarie Cowley said: This incident is in its very early stages and at present we cannot speculate on what the nature of it may be.
What we can say for certain is if there needed to be an example of the utter senselessness of knife crime, then this is it.
Four males are in hospital, and at this stage we cannot say how serious their injuries are. It is beyond comprehension.
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She added that legislation has been invoked to grant officers powers to deter further trouble overnight.
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