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11th August 2024
05:27pm BST
Large crowds have gathered on the streets of Southport this afternoon to pay their respects to the family of Alice da Silva Aguiar, as the nine-year-old victim of last month's stabbing is laid to rest.
Alice died from her injuries in hospital a day after Axel Rudakubana attacked children attending a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in the Merseyside town on 29 July.
Bebe King, aged six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, also died in the attack, where eight other girls and two adults were injured.
Roughly 300 people lined the streets leading up to St Patrick's Catholic Church, where Alice's funeral mass was held.
Some held pink balloons while others released bubbles before a round of applause broke out as the cortege arrived.
Alice's parents Sergio and Alexandra were joined by family and friends during the service, while many mourners lined up outside the packed church to listen to the mass through speakers.
There was also an area of the church set aside for the emergency services who worked with the family, while a second area was set aside for other families affected by the attacks, as well as classmates, friends and family.
One of Alice's teachers, Jinnie Payne, described her as a "curious girl" who "never forgot the details".
She added that another teacher at Churchtown Primary School, where Alice attended, had named her baby after the late youngster.
Alice's parents paid tribute to their beloved daughter.
"Keep smiling and dancing like you love to do our Princess," they said.
"Like we said before to you, you're always our princess and no one would change that."
The family, who are Portuguese, attended a celebration of her life on Tuesday, which is traditional in Portugal one week after a person has died.
According to the BBC, Alice's wider family were watching the service via video-link in Portugal.
Last week, it was announced that all of the remaining children who had been injured in the Southport knife attack and taken to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital had now been discharged.
The hospital said in a statement: "We are really pleased to be able to share that all the children involved in last Monday’s awful incident in Southport who were under our care have now been safely discharged home from Alder Hey.
"We would like to take this opportunity to thank all those involved in responding to the incident or caring for anyone affected by it, especially our colleagues in the NHS, Merseyside Police and North West Ambulance Service.
"We also want to say thank you to all who sent well-wishes to Alder Hey and to the families affected."
