A devastating knife attack near Suriname’s capital, Paramaribo, has tragically resulted in the deaths of at least nine individuals, including five children.

Authorities in Suriname, a country nestled between Brazil and the Atlantic Ocean, confirmed that the victims encompassed four of the attacker’s own children and several neighbors who rushed to assist.

Among the deceased was also a child belonging to a neighbor. Reports indicate that the victims were found across different residences.

The horrifying incident occurred in Richelieu, located in the Commewijne district, approximately 25 kilometers east of Paramaribo.

According to local residents, the attack was triggered when the 43-year-old suspect argued over the phone with his estranged wife.

Witnesses explained that after the suspect’s wife declined to pick up their children personally and instead planned to send someone else, the suspect lashed out with a knife at his children and subsequently targeted neighbors in their homes.

In a statement on Sunday (Monday AEST), Suriname’s Police Corps said the suspect attempted to attack police officers who arrived on the scene and he was injured during his arrest.

He is now recovering in a hospital.

Police said a sixth child and another adult were seriously injured in the attack and were being treated at a hospital in Paramaribo.

On her Facebook page, Surinamese President Jennifer Geerlings-Simons reacted to the news, saying the attacker took the life of his children and his neighbours.

“I wish all the bereaved much strength, resilience, and comfort in this unimaginably difficult time,” Geerlings-Simons wrote in Dutch, the nation’s official language.

Suriname, a former Dutch colony, is the smallest independent nation in South America, with a population of approximately 600,000 people.

It has traditionally had one of the lowest murder rates in the region.

But the murder rate spiked in 2024 to 30 homicides per 100,000 residents, according to data gathered by the think tank Insight Crime.