A 17-year-old boy was stabbed to death in a “targeted attack” in Cambridge on Saturday. Police were called to the scene by the ambulance service after a boy was stabbed at about 2.52pm near Logan’s Meadow, a small reserve next to the River Cam.

Despite the efforts of emergency workers, the teenager was declared dead at 2.56pm, Cambridgeshire constabulary said. A murder investigation has been launched.

Det Supt Carl Foster, from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire major crime unit, said police were following several leads but believed the attack was “targeted”.

“While we are unable to confirm the cause of death until a postmortem examination has been conducted, we believe the boy was stabbed in a targeted attack,” he said. “We are following several leads and carrying out inquiries to find those responsible. However, no arrests have yet been made.

“We believe there were members of the public at the scene who spoke with paramedics but left before our officers arrived. I am directly appealing for these people to make contact with us please.

“I would appeal to anyone with information to get in touch with us as a matter of urgency.”

Anyone with any information has been urged to contact police on 101.