Singer Taylor Swift has said she is ” completely in shock” over the knife attack at a dance workshop which left two children dead and nine more injured.

The children were attacked at a Taylor Swift-themed event on Hart Street, Southport, on Monday.

Posting on Instagram, the star said she was “at a complete loss” for how to convey her sympathies.

Her fans have raised more than £20,000 for the families of the victims of a knife attack on Merseyside.

Six of the children and two adults who tried to defend them from the “ferocious” attack have been left critically injured.

A JustGiving page called Swifties for Southport has been set up, raising more than £21,000 for Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, where many victims have been treated.

The Taylor Swift UK & EU Facebook group organisers said the money would go to the hospital’s charity arm.

In a statement the group said: “We are working with Alder Hey Children’s Hospital to help raise money for the families affected by the tragedy in Southport, and raising funeral funds for the two young swifties who have tragically passed.

“Every donation through this link goes directly to the verified charity below, which will in turn help make a difference to those impacted in a time of great sadness.”

A 17-year-old boy, from Banks in Lancashire, has been arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder over the attack.

Police said the motivation for the attack was “unclear” but it was not being treated as terror-related.

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