A schoolboy is fighting for his life after he was stabbed with an 8-inch "carving knife" on a busy south London street.
Metropolitan Police confirmed that a young male - believed to be aged 15 - was stabbed at 4.10pm on Dartmouth Road in Forest Hill.
One eyewitness said the boy was attacked in front of his horrified friends after they had left school.
She said: “There were a group of school kids, boys and girls, sitting on a brick wall outside the job centre.
“Two much older men stabbed the kid in his side.
“They left the knife in him and ran down the high street towards Forest Hill station.
“The boy pulled the knife out of his side and threw it across the street.
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The witness, who at the Bird in the Hand pub when the attack happened, added: “He tried to run but only made it 50 years before he collapsed on the street.
“The knife was a huge carving knife around eight inches long.”
She said the boy's friends chased after the attackers but couldn’t stop them before they got away on foot.
Police are still waiting for an update on the victim's condition but said no arrests have yet been made.
A crime scene remains in place near Forest Hill station, where the attack took place.
A Met Police statement read: "Police were called at approximately 16:10hrs on Monday, 25 March to reports of a stabbing in Dartmouth Road, SE23.
"Officers and London Ambulance Service attended and found a male - no further details - suffering a stab injury; condition awaits.
"A crime scene remains in place. No arrests; enquiries continue."
It’s thought the victim was a pupil at Forest Hill school a mile away.
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Labour MP for Lewisham West and Penge Ellie Reeves tweeted: "Extremely sorry to hear about the stabbing on Dartmouth Road SE23 this afternoon. I am in close contact with the police and my thoughts are with the victim who I hope has a speedy recovery from this terrible act."
The incident is just the latest stabbing in the capital in recent days.
Scotland Yard also confirmed that another stabbing took place in Dagenham this afternoon.
A man in his 20s was brought to hospital where he received treatment for his injuries.
Eyewitness reports say the injured man staggered from nearby Valence Park to Bonham Road before an ambulance was called to his location.
Police are awaiting an update on his condition.
More than 40 people have been fatally stabbed across London since the start of the year.
