A major incident has been declared in Birmingham after multiple people were stabbed in the city centre in the early hours of Sunday morning.
West Midlands Police said there were “a number” of victims, but the severity of their injuries was not immediately known.
Officers were called to reports of a stabbing at around 12.30am on Sunday, which was then followed by reports of other incidents in the area.
The force said: “We are aware of a number of injured people, but at the moment we are 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.
“Work is still going on to establish what has happened, and could take some time before we are in a position to confirm anything. At this early stage it would not be appropriate to speculate on the causes of the incident.”
Police said the response would be ongoing “for some time” and urged people to stay away from the scene.
A spokesperson for the force also explained that while they were aware of comments about gunshots being fired during the incident, they had not yet received any reports about gunfire.
One witness, Cara, told BBC Radio Five Live she thought it was “one group of boys against another group of boys”, adding that she had heard racial slurs during the incident.
She said: “They were not just having an argument and then fighting, it was straight into fists being thrown. There was not much talking going on.
“Drinks were being dropped, bottles that they had obviously bought in the club, rings were falling off so jewellery was going everywhere, clothes were being torn.
“One of the males actually ended up with his hair being pulled out and left with a bald patch.
West Midlands mayor Andy Street said his thoughts are with those affected by the major incident in Birmingham but asked people not to speculate about it.
He tweeted: “I would ask everyone to not speculate about the incident in Birmingham. West Midlands Police are set to hold a press conference this morning. My thoughts are with those affected and my thanks to the emergency services working to deal with this incident.
“The city remains open for business as usual this morning but clearly people are asked to avoid the immediate area surrounding Hurst Street while police carry out their investigation.”