London : A mass stabbing attack on a London-bound train has been declared a “major incident”, with nine of the 10 people taken to hospital suffering life-threatening injuries, according to police.

Witnesses described chaotic scenes when the train was brought to an emergency halt at a station near Cambridge, where police arrested two suspects while the wounded were ferried to hospital.

British Transport Police said counter-terrorism police were supporting the investigation, but added that a motive was unclear.

Cambridgeshire police said they were called at 7.39pm on Saturday (6.39am Sunday AEDT) after reports that “multiple people” had been stabbed on a train.

“Armed officers attended and the train was stopped at Huntingdon, where two men were arrested,” the police said in a statement.

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