Police are hunting a man who stabbed a 19-year-old Warwick woman in her abdomen during a melee outside the Show Time Nightclub in Dockyard early yesterday morning.

The Royal Gazette understands that the victim is in "extreme" pain, but in stable condition in a general ward at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.

When relatives of the woman were contacted last night, they said she was very upset by the incident and they hoped that Police would move swiftly to catch the attacker.

"She is not doing too good - she is very lucky to be alive," said the victim's cousin.

"He punched one of the other girls and he really got carried away. He was crazy - you just don't go around stabbing people. She is really upset about this. Police really need to catch him."

The victim told Police that at about 3.45 a.m., the 23-year-old Pembroke man assaulted her and several of her friends after he jumped in the back of their taxi uninvited.

As a result an argument broke out with the girls, with the man getting agitated.

He then put his finger in the head of one of the young women and punched another in her face.

A fight eventually ensued causing the driver of the taxi to step in to calm tensions.

He told the attacker to get out of the cab.

At that time the victim also got out and confronted him.

They too had a short argument which resulted in him punching her several times in face and finally stabbing her with an unknown object in her stomach area.

She was rushed to the Port Royal Fire Station and eventually to KEMH.

Police said they have launched a full scale investigation into the matter and hope to make an arrest soon.