‘It’s unbelievable’: Annecy shocked by knife attack on young children in park

Flowers are laid at the lakeside playground where four young children were stabbed. Photograph: Laurent Cipriani/AP

It was a sunny mid-morning at the edge of one of France’s most beautiful lakes, framed by mountains and park lawns in the picturesque French Alps city of Annecy.

The quiet, waterside playground, with a slide and climbing frame, was a favourite for local toddlers with their parents and childminders as well as tourists. High school children were also milling around in the morning shade. Annecy had been in the news recently only for concerns over too much Airbnb accommodation in tourist towns – and for its famous animated film festival, which was due to start on Sunday.