At least six people including four children and two adults were injured in a knife attack in a town of the French Alps on Thursday, a security source informed AFP. The attacker also left multiple people with life-threatening injuries, but was subsequently apprehended by the police.

The incident was confirmed by the Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, who said in a tweet that the incident occurred in a square in the lakeside town of Annecy. He however did not confirm the exact number of injured individuals, including children.

"Several people including children were injured by an individual armed with a knife in a square in Annecy. The individual was arrested thanks to the very rapid intervention of the police," he tweeted in French.

Plusieurs personnes dont des enfants ont été blessés par un individu armé d’un couteau dans un square à Annecy. L’individu a été interpellé grâce à l’intervention très rapide des forces de l’ordre.

— Gérald DARMANIN (@GDarmanin) June 8, 2023

However, an Interior Ministry official, speaking anonymously, disclosed that four children and two adults were wounded in the incident. The severity of their injuries has not been specified. The official cautioned that the number of wounded could evolve because the full details weren’t yet clear.

National police have reported that four children were among the wounded, with two of them sustaining life-threatening injuries. The other two children suffered minor injuries. Police said one adult also suffered life-threatening wounds, and also cautioned that the injury count was evolving.

French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the incident calling it an 'attack of cowardice'.

"Attack of absolute cowardice this morning in a park in Annecy. Children and an adult are between life and death. The Nation is in shock. Our thoughts are with them as well as their families and the emergency services mobilized," he tweeted in French.

Attaque d’une lâcheté absolue ce matin dans un parc à Annecy. Des enfants et un adulte sont entre la vie et la mort. La Nation est sous le choc. Nos pensées les accompagnent ainsi que leurs familles et les secours mobilisés.

— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) June 8, 2023

Antoine Armand, a local lawmaker, took to Twitter to express his shock, mentioning that the attack occurred on a playground and describing it as "abominable." In Paris, lawmakers interrupted an ongoing debate to observe a moment of silence for the victims.

With inputs from agencies.