A 22-month-old Dutch child is among the victims of a knife attack that took place on Thursday at a playground in Annecy, France, French media have said.

Four children aged 22 months to three, and two adults, are currently in hospital after having been stabbed by a man shortly before 10 am. Two of the victims are in a serious condition, local media said.

Video footage of the attack shows the man entering the playground and stabbing the children as their mothers cry out in what French media said was a “scene of extreme violence”.

The man, aged 32, has been arrested. He is a Syrian national who arrived in Sweden in 2013 and was given refugee status. He had also reportedly applied for refugee status in France but was rejected because he already has Swedish papers.

French police said that so far there appears to be no terrorist motive for the attack. According to French media he cried out “in the name of Jesus Christ” several times.

The Dutch foreign ministry has yet to confirm the identity of the Dutch child.