Multiple stabbings in UK's Birmingham, police declare it 'major incident'

Following the stabbing of several people in Birmingham, the police on Sunday declared it a "major incident".

"We can confirm that at approximately 12:30 am today we were called to reports of a stabbing in #Birmingham city centre. We immediately attended, along with colleagues from the ambulance service. A number of other stabbings were reported in the area shortly after," West Midlands Police said in a statement.

The police said it is aware of a number of injured people, but at the moment it is not in a position to say how many or how serious. "However, all emergency services are working together at the scene, and making sure that those who are injured receive medical care."

"This has been declared a major incident," said West Midlands Police.

In its statement, the police said work is still going on to establish what has happened and could take some time before we are in a position to confirm anything.

It said that at this early stage it would not be appropriate to speculate on the causes of the incident.

"The emergency services have well-rehearsed plans for dealing with major incidents. Our response is ongoing in Birmingham city centre and will be for some time. Cordons are in place, and there are some road closures," said the police urging people to remain calm but vigilant and to stay away from the area.