Taylor Swift has issued a statement after a knife attack at a Southport dance class themed around her music left three children dead.
“The horror of yesterday’s attack in Southport is washing over me continuously, and I’m just completely in shock,” Swift wrote on her Instagram Story. “The loss of life and innocence, and the horrendous trauma inflicted on everyone who was there, the families and first responders. 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.”
A total of 11 others were injured, with five children and two adults remaining in critical condition, according to the BBC. The children were attending a Swift-themed dance and yoga class in the U.K. town when a 17-year-old man attacked them. He was arrested on suspicion of murder and remains in custody. Investigators are working to establish a motive, the Merseyside Police said, but do not believe the incident to be terror-related.
The BBC reported that fans of Swift set up a fundraiser for the victims and their families which has already raised over £47,000 ($60,400). The money will be donated to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital as well as to the “funeral funds for the two young Swifties who have tragically passed,” as the JustGiving donation page states.
Swift is currently closing out the European leg of her Eras Tour, with shows in Warsaw, Poland this weekend and Vienna, Austria the next week. She returns to the U.K. for five more concerts at Wembley Stadium starting Aug. 15.
