DRAMATIC photos have captured the chaotic aftermath of a stabbing at Europe's biggest street festival.

The pictures show a bloodied man lying on the ground with stab wounds to his abdomen and hand after the incident at the Notting Hill Carnival in London yesterday.

Further images show another man - allegedly the attacker - flee the scene with a knife. An older man carrying bags is seen attempting to stop him.





media_camera The man avoids being tripped by a member of the public as he runs down the road at the Notting Hill Carnival, carrying a knife. In the background, a man has blood on his shirt after allegedly being stabbed. Picture: getty

Police said the injured man remained in a serious condition.

Three men were held over the stabbing and police were also investigating a separate incident in which a person was badly injured after an object was thrown from a three-storey building.

The second day of festivities were otherwise largely peaceful, with 6500 police officers, the biggest number in recent years at the Caribbean-themed extravaganza, on duty as spectators watched Samba-style dancers perform on floats.

Huge crowds partied in the streets as the carnival drew to a close.

Yesterday, a public holiday, was the second and busiest day of the two-day festival which attracts around a million people, and there were fears gangs could hijack the event and go on the rampage in a repeat of this month's riots.

media_camera The man is given emergency medical treatment by police officers after being stabbed in the stomach at the Notting Hill Carnival. Picture: Getty

The frenzy of violence, which erupted in the north London district of Tottenham on August 6 before spreading across the capital and to other cities, were the worst riots in England since the 1980s and left five people dead.

Despite the two incidents, arrest figures were relatively low, with 132 detained on Monday and 82 the previous day for offences ranging from possession of drugs and weapons to theft, police said.

"We are very pleased," police spokesman Steve Rodhouse told BBC television. "It's a great event for London. We want to showcase London to the world but equally we want to keep it safe."

Nevertheless, he added that police remained vigilant as there were gangs at the carnival intent on causing trouble.

Cloudy weather did not deter hordes of party-goers from flooding the streets to cheer on dozens of floats and shimmering dancers in flamboyant, colourful outfits parading through the west London neighbourhood.

"It's wonderful," Francesca, 42, from French Guiana, told AFP.

"We were a bit frightened because of the riots but it is very safe, we are having a great time.''

Revellers milled between the stalls and thumping sound systems, drinking, dancing, and tasting jerk chicken as the smells of open-cooked Caribbean food wafted through the air.

"It's a really good vibe, everyone's enjoying themselves,'' said Oliver Prennan, a 22-year-old student.

Originally published as Festival stabbing captured on camera