A 45-year-old woman was last night in intensive care in hospital after she was stabbed in an apartment above a shop.

Her attacker — who knows the victim — escaped on a motorcycle to spark a Police manhunt yesterday afternoon.

Officers say the woman was stabbed at least once in her upper body in the home above Just Rite Enterprises, in Palmetto Road, Pembroke, at about 2 p.m.

She was taken to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital's Intensive Care Unit, where her condition was described as serious. Police said their initial fears over the woman's health were downgraded as she improved during the afternoon.

The man on the loose was described by officers as "not a danger to the public".

Bermuda Police Service spokesman Dwayne Caines said: "Shortly after 2 p.m. Police were called to a building with a residence on top.

"It appears a 45-year-old woman was stabbed by a person known to her. The man left on a bike. Police are actively pursuing the suspect. He is known to the Police. They have a few leads they are following."

Asked if the man was dangerous, Mr. Caines replied: "I wouldn't categorise him as not dangerous — anybody who hurts somebody is a danger. But he is not considered a danger to the public."

Mr. Caines said he was confident the man would be apprehended within hours.

He said it was too early to say whether it was a domestic incident, and declined to reveal how many times the woman was stabbed or provide details of the weapon, including whether it had been left at the scene.

Throughout the afternoon, uniformed officers guarded the property — a warehouse style store — with forensic experts arriving to collect evidence. Police tape was put across an alleyway next door to the shop, but removed shortly afterwards.

A man working in the shop said: "I don't know what's going on up there."

Pointing to a group of Police officers standing across the road, he added: "I came back from lunch and this is what I found."