A 13-year-old boy has been stabbed in an Asda car park in an horrific attack by four hooded men.
Police say the child was set upon by a group carrying large bladed weapons shortly after 7.10pm on Saturday in the Longsight area of Manchester.
They were all wearing dark tracksuits with hoods and fled the scene after the brutal assault.
The unnamed boy was taken to hospital with serious injuries but is in a stable condition.
Police are now trying to find the attackers after the "shocking" incident but no arrests have been made.
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One of the attackers was wearing a black gilet over an Adidas tracksuit, with the hood up, and had a Gucci bag across his body.
He was wearing a black face mask with a black and white patterned bandana on his head, police said.
Detective Inspector Daniel Hadfield said: "This incident was nothing short of shocking.
"A 13-year-old boy has suffered some very serious injuries at the hands of four men, and we're doing everything we can to trace those responsible.
"I understand incidents like this cause concern within the community but I want to stress that we have a team of detectives carrying out several lines of inquiry, including area searches and CCTV analysis.
"A cordon remains in place today whilst inquiries are carried out at the scene.
"Dedicated patrols are also positioned throughout the local area. They are there for you, so please approach them with any questions or concerns you may have and they'll try to assist you in the best possible way.
"Our thoughts are very much with the boy and his family as he recovers in hospital and I want to appeal directly to the public as this happened in quite a public space - did you witness this attack or see anyone acting suspiciously nearby around the time of the attack?
"If so, please get in touch as soon as possible as even the smallest piece of information could prove vital to our investigation."
Anyone with information should call police on 0161 856 4409 or 101 quoting incident number 2457 of 30/01/2021, or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
