Mourners wear white at Southport funeral of victim Alice da Silva Aguiar

Alice da Silva Aguiar was taken to her funeral in a beautiful horse-drawn carriage (Picture: Getty Images/AP/PA)

Hundreds of people have lined the streets of Southport for Alice da Silva Aguiar’s beautiful funeral procession after she was killed in a stabbing attack last month.

The nine-year-old died in hospital the day after a knifeman targeted a Taylor Swift-themed dance class she was attending in the Merseyside town on July 29.

Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Bebe King, six, also died in the attack.

Alice has been taken to her funeral in a stunning carriage pulled along by two elegant white horses draped in pink covers and wearing flamboyant orange and white plumes.

A bouquet of pretty pink flowers adorned her white coffin, while everyone in attendance is also wearing white or light colours – as opposed to the traditional black.

Huge crowds and around 30 uniformed police officers filled the roadside as the schoolgirl was pulled along, followed by family members, including her parents Sergio and Alexandra.

Pink ribbons and balloons were also tied to lampposts and garden walls.

Elegant white horses draped in pink and wearing orange and white plumes took Alice to her funeral (Picture: EPA)

The nine-year-old’s white coffin was decorated with a gorgeous bouquet of pink flowers (Picture: Getty Images)

An emotional procession and ceremony is taking place today (Picture: AP)

Applause broke out as the carriage approached St Patrick’s Catholic Church, where hundreds are packed inside with more listening to the service outside via loudspeakers.

A local priest said Alice’s mum and dad told him ahead of today’s service that they want to let their only child ‘dance to heaven’.

Father John Heneghan told ITV News: ‘She loved dancing, and that is a beautiful image.’

At a memorial service for Alice earlier this week, her parents entered holding a pair of her ballet shoes.

Mourners are all dressed in white for the funeral (Picture: AP)

Alice’s coffin was beautifully dressed and was carried along in a pristine white carriage (Picture: EPA)

Family and friends wore white and lighter colours instead of black (Picture: Getty Images)

Speaking to BBC Radio Merseyside, Father Heneghan – who last saw Alice the day before she was killed – said ‘devout Catholics’ Alexandra and Sergio were ‘surrounded by love’.

He added: ‘They are wonderful people, and have got a wonderful family around them.

‘They are Portuguese, Madeira, and they have a wonderful support network, they’re very close.’

Axel Rudakubana, who turned 18 on Wednesday, was charged with murder over the deaths of the three girls shortly after the attack.

The horse-drawn carriage looked aptly stunning for the procession (Picture: EPA)

The parents of Bebe King spoke about the loss of their daughter for the first time yesterday.

In a statement, Lauren and Ben said: ‘From the pink lights illuminating Sefton and Liverpool, to the pink bows, flowers, balloons, cards, and candles left in her memory, we have been overwhelmed by the kindness and compassion shown to our family.

‘The response from Southport, the whole of Liverpool, and even further afield has deeply touched our hearts, and we are so grateful to everyone who has reached out to us.’

They also revealed their other daughter, Genie, had witnessed the attack and managed to escape.

Bebe King, left, and with her family (Picture: Merseyside Police)

The killings have sparked days of violent unrest across England and Northern Ireland, leading to hundreds of arrests.

Last Tuesday, Elsie Dot Stancombe’s mother Lisa wrote on social media: ‘This is the only thing that I will write, but please please stop the violence in Southport tonight.

‘The police have been nothing but heroic these last 24 hours and they and we don’t need this.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.