Girl, 16, in hospital with 'serious injuries' after violent assault in Southern Cemetery

A teenage girl is in hospital with 'serious injuries' after a violent assault in a major Manchester cemetery on a quiet Sunday morning (March 10). The assault took place while mourners went about paying their respects to friends and relatives in the busy Southern Cemetery, off Princess Road.

A section of the cemetery, which is among the largest in the UK, was cordoned off following the assault which took place around 11.40am. The girl, aged just 16, was taken to hospital with serious injuries, which are not believed to be life-threatening.

Visitors to the cemetery described shock at the incident, with one person on their regular Sunday visit to their wife's grave saying: "I hope they are ok, but I don't understand why something like that would happen in a graveyard. It's peaceful here."

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Multiple witnesses at the scene told the Manchester Evening News that a person on a bike had been involved in the incident, however this has not yet been confirmed by police.

Others described seeing scores of police vehicles on Barlow Moor Road following the attack, An air ambulance was also seen landing near to the scene of the incident, which took place less than 100 metres from the southern entrance gate to the cemetery.

Just hours later, an unrelated attack took place at a cemetery on the other side of Manchester, after a dog attacked a woman in a Tameside cemetery.

The cordon remains in Southern Cemetery, near to the north chapel. No arrests have been made and police investigation into the incident is underway.

A Greater Manchester Police spokesperson said: "At around 11.40am this morning (10 March 2024), officers received a