Six injured in Washington state school stabbing

Six people have been injured in a stabbing at a school in the US state of Washington following an "altercation", police said.

Five high school students and an adult security guard were taken to hospital on Thursday, Tacoma Fire Department confirmed, adding that all were in stable condition.

Police said it detained the suspect, a student at Foss High School, who was also injured in the incident.

The suspect was booked on five counts of first-degree assault, Shelbie Boyd, a spokeswoman for the Tacoma Police Department, said.

Police responded to reports of an active assault at 13:35 local time (21:35 BST). The fire department said it also attended the scene, where it treated and transported six patients, who were taken to hospital.

Four students were initially reported by Tacoma Fire Department to be in critical condition. One adult had minor injuries and the suspect also had minor injuries.

The authorities later confirmed that all patients were in stable condition as of 16:00 local time.

Boyd told media outlets that the incident arose after "some type of an altercation".

She added that police arrived promptly and were "able to locate the individual" and secure the scene "pretty quickly".

The investigation would "carry on into the night", Boyd said, urging anyone with video of the incident to get in touch with police.

Foss High School will remain shut on Friday following the incident, according to an alert on the school's website. It will reopen on Monday 4 May, with counsellors on site to support staff and students.

In 2007, 17-year-old Samnang Kok was shot and killed in a hallway at Foss High School. The shooter, 18-year-old Douglas Chanthabouly, was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 23 years in prison.