Three teenagers have been arrested after a 17-year-old boy was stabbed to death in central London, becoming the latest person to die in the rash of knife violence that has beset the capital.

The Metropolitan police said they were called to reports of an assault on Caledonian Road, near King’s Cross station, shortly before 7pm on Tuesday.

The force said: “Officers attended along with London Ambulance Service and found a 17-year-old male suffering stab injuries. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

“Although we await formal identification officers are confident they know the identity of the deceased.” Next of kin have been informed.

Two boys, aged 16 and 17, were arrested near the scene on suspicion of murder and taken into custody at separate north London police stations. Further inquiries led to the arrest of an 18-year-old man at an address in Islington, said police.

Homicide detectives are working on the case and two males who were arrested nearby are in custody.

Police said a postmortem examination and formal identification would be arranged in due course.

Last year, 135 people were murdered or unlawfully killed in London – the largest number in a decade. Data gathered by the Guardian showed the majority were stabbed and more than two-fifths of all the victims were men under 30.