A teenage girl has been charged with attempted murder after a woman was attacked with an axe in a home near Halifax.

Police responded to acall at a home on Prospect Bay Road in the community of Prospect at approximately 9:05 p.m. on Wednesday.

The 52-year-old woman was bleeding heavily after apparently being struck several times with the axe, said Cpl. Scott MacRae of the Halifax District RCMP.

“There was all kinds of blood and it was a very scary scene,” said MacRae.

The woman was taken to hospital with serious, life-threatening injuries.

However, police said on Thursday that she had since been released from hospital and that her injuries were no longer considered to be life-threatening.

"It was definitely life-threatening at the time because of the potential loss of blood and lots of lacerations," MacRae told CTVNews.ca. "She will require further treatment."

Police arrested two 15-year-old girls in a vehicle on Mumford Road in Halifax less than two hours after the attack.

Police say one of the suspects lives in the same home as the victim.

Along with attempted murder, one of the girls is charged with:

  • Assault with a weapon
  • Aggravated assault
  • Possession of a weapon dangerous to the public
  • Theft of a motor vehicle over $5,000
  • Eight breaches of previous court orders

The second teen is charged with possession of stolen property over $5,000 and 14 counts of breaching court orders.

Both remain in custody and are scheduled to appear in Halifax provincial youth court on Friday.

A family member of one of the suspects told CTV News the girls were both under house arrest and had been ordered to stay away from each other.

David Chiodo lives a few doors down from where the incident took place. He said he was surprised to see a police presence in the area.

“It’s quiet. Nothing generally goes on down here. Things are safe,” said Chiodo.

But another neighbour told CTV News it wasn’t unusual to hear yelling and screaming coming from the home.

MacRae said investigators are working to determine a motive for the attack.

“The job of the investigators is to get that question, that magic question of why it happened, and put that evidence together to have someone answer to it in court.”

With files from CTV Atlantic's Alyse Hand