Nine people were stabbed to death, including five children

Nine people, including five children, were stabbed to death in a suburb of Suriname’s capital Paramaribo, police said.

Another adult and child were seriously injured in the attack and were taken to hospital, city police said in a statement.

Police were called to an address on a road into the capital on Saturday night and detained a male suspect after he was shot in the leg. He was also taken to hospital for treatment and is under police guard.

Local media quoted officials and residents as saying the man suffered from mental health problems, while the South American country’s president said his family and neighbors were victims.

“At a time when family and friends should be supporting and supporting each other, we are faced with the harsh reality that there is another side of the world,” Jennifer Gillings-Simmons said in a statement.

“I wish all the families of the deceased strength, courage and comfort during this unimaginably difficult time.”

Police said more details about the circumstances of the incident would be released later.

Suriname has one of the lowest stabbing death rates, so such incidents are relatively rare.

However, since independence from the Netherlands in 1975, it has experienced several coups and civil wars.