A total of eight people were arrested on Thursday evening after two fights broke out at a children’s shelter in Larnaca.

Police said the first fight took place at around 6pm after one of the children staying there, aged 17, allegedly attacked another.

When a police officer on duty at the centre intervened he too was attacked by the 17-year-old and others in the building.

A second child, also aged 17, allegedly punched the police officer.

Other police officers rushed to the scene to break up the fight, and the first 17-year-old and the police officer were both taken to the Larnaca general hospital before being discharged.

Both 17-year-olds were then arrested.

Later in the evening, at around 11pm, another group of teenagers attacked members of police and the site manager.

As a result, police said, “two social workers were trapped inside the building.”

They were then freed by the police, who subsequently arrested six more people, five of whom are 17 and the sixth is 16 years old.