A 20-year-old woman has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly stabbing another woman on a busy Cairns street on Wednesday afternoon.
Emergency services were called to the incident on the Cairns Esplanade around 5:30pm, where a 39-year-old woman was found with a stab wound to her neck.
First aid was administered and she was taken to Cairns Hospital, where she remains in a critical but stable condition.
Isabella Aneta Cisarova, of Cairns North, was charged with attempted murder and faced the Cairns Magistrates Court today.
Police say both women are known to each other.
Multiple witnesses, police say
Senior Sergeant Matt Stevens said when police arrived people who witnessed the incident were providing first aid.
"I believe we've got a number of witnesses to the incident," he said.
"Being the esplanade at that time of day, lots of members of the public are close by.
"It is a bit of a grisly scene, considering there's a bit of blood there.
"We thank those people that have rendered any assistance that they have, and we'll touch base with them and ensure everyone's safe and well."
One witness, Tim, told the ABC it was frightening but emergency services responded quickly.
"It was pretty crazy," he said.
"Evening time on the esplanade; people [were] going for a walk and everything like that, so they were pretty busy."
Investigations ongoing
Senior Sergeant Stevens said details like the alleged weapon and possible cause of the altercation were still being established.
"We suspect there may be a bladed weapon. But, again, that's still part of the investigation," he said.
"If there are potential witnesses that police haven't spoken to, we'd love them to either ring Crime Stoppers or Policelink.
"Every witness is crucial to the investigation at this stage."
The alleged offender is due back in court in late January.
