Aberfan 'major incident' sees 'heavily pregnant' woman stabbed as knifeman on run

Police have warned of a "serious assault" in Aberfan, south Wales, with armed officers on the scene after a reported stabbing with schools in the area put in lockdown

A woman has reportedly been stabbed in the street as she took her child to school in what is believed to be a domestic abuse revenge attack.

Armed police swooped on the village of Aberfan, South Wales, shortly after 9am today after a woman was found in a pool of blood on the pavement.

Neighbours ran into the street with pillows and blankets while emergency services arrived. The knifeman fled the scene and three local schools and a community centre were put on lockdown after what police described as a “serious assault”.

Locals said the 29-year-old woman, believed to be "heavily pregant", had moved to the village recently after being involved in a domestic abuse case in England. Villager Gareth Jones said: “She’s not been here for long and was heavily pregnant - not far from giving birth.

“She was taking her child to one of the local schools when this man came out of nowhere and stabbed her in the street. It looks like the fellow is still on the loose, there are police everywhere.”

An air ambulance landed on the nearby Taff Trail walking track to take the woman to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff. Mr Jones, 64, said: “Another police helicopter was hovering above the village and the street has been cordoned off.

“You can see the pillow and blankets that people gave the women to keep her comfortable until an ambulance arrived.” The attack happened just half a mile from the scene of the 1966 Aberfan disaster when 116 children and 28 adults were killed when a colliery tip collapsed onto the village school.

Mr Jones, one of the few children to survive the catastrophe, said: “The air ambulance landed behind the Aberfan disaster memorial gardens. “This is the most police activity we’ve had in the village since that dreadful day. There are forensic officers in white suits at the spot where she was attacked. Everyone is just praying the woman is going to be ok.”

South Wales Police advised people to avoid the area after the attack on Coronation Place, next to the village’s Moy Road. A spokesman said: "Emergency services are responding to a serious assault that took place on Moy Road, Aberfan, Merthyr Tydfil just before 9.10am this morning. Armed officers are in the area, and we request that people avoid the area so that we can effectively deal with this incident."

A spokesperson for the Welsh Ambulance Service said: "We were called at approximately 9:10am, to reports of an incident in Aberfan, Merthyr Tydfil. We sent one emergency ambulance, one air ambulance and one Cymru High Acuity Response unit to the scene where advanced critical care support was delivered by the Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service. We conveyed one patient by road to University Hospital Of Wales, Cardiff for further treatment."

The area's MP, Gerald Jones, said: "I have spoken to police regarding a serious incident in Aberfan this morning. You may see an increased police presence in the area and I’d encourage everyone to co-operate with police officers as they deal with the incident."

A South Wales Police spokesperson: "South Wales Police were called just before 9.10am this morning with a report that a 29-year-old woman had been stabbed on Moy Road, #Aberfan, #Merthyr. The suspect left the scene immediately after the incident and enquiries are ongoing to find him.

"A search of the immediate area is being carried out by armed officers. Local schools have activated their lockdown protocols to keep pupils safe whilst the incident is ongoing. We continue to request that people avoid the area so that we can effectively deal with this incident. The woman has been taken to hospital with injuries which are not believed to be life-threatening at this time."