Schoolgirl, 16, stabbed to death on West Midlands bus

Christina Edkins was travelling to Leasowes High School when she was killed in a "sporadic and quick attack".

The teenager was pronounced dead on the number nine bus, which pulled up on Hagley Road, near the city centre.

A 22-year-old man was arrested near Morrisons on Hagley Road on suspicion of murder this afternoon.

Passengers reportedly performed CPR as they tried to save the teenager, who lived in Ladywood, Birmingham. Police officers also attempted to revive her.

Det Supt Richard Baker described her family as "extremely distressed and distraught"and said officers were looking at a number of motives.

Police shut part of Hagley Road at Five Ways at 7.37am after the tragedy near Morrisons.

Witnesses said the girl was stabbed by a man just as the bus pulled into the bus stop. The knifeman then ran off.

Up to 15 police cars and ambulances were at the scene early today. By mid-morning, two ambulances and five police cars remained, while police officers talked to passengers.

Forensic experts were working on the bus and a murder investigation was launched.

West Midlands Police spokesman Lee Page said: "Police received a call from a member of the public reporting that a passenger had been attacked.

"Officers and other emergency services were immediately dispatched but it was clear that nothing could be done to save the victim."

Hagley Road, out of the city, remained closed this morning and was likely to remain closed for the rest of the day. Pedestrian access was also restricted, as was access to the subways at the Five Ways island.

The closures led to heavy traffic out of the city centre. Traffic queued up along Broad Street, while Hagley Road and Lee Bank Middleway were also affected.

A spokesman from National Express West Midlands, which runs the bus service, said eight of its bus services were affected.

Shocked passers-by took to Facebook. Darren Bent, from Birmingham, said his wife was on the bus at the time of the attack.

He said: "Can't believe some guy has stabbed and killed a school girl right in front of my missus on the number nine bus on her way to work and she had to give CPR love you xxx the guy did it as bus was about to stop and ran off."

Speaking near Leasowes School school this afternoon, Ann Marshall, a retired office worker whose two granddaughters go there, said: "It is absolutely wicked. It's terrible. My grandchildren go there."

Leave your tributes to Christina Edkin in the comments below. For legal reasons, discussion of the incident will not be published.