An explosion has wrecked its way through a Manchester area following the performance the pop star Ariana Grande Monday night. Among the panicked spectators, 19 were killed and at least 50 were reported wounded as the crowd fled the area.
No immediate statement has been released on the cause of the explosion, but according to a tweet released by the Manchester Police, “It is currently being treated as a terrorist incident.”
Police statement on incident at Manchester Arena pic.twitter.com/gaKASukx9a
— G M Police (@gmpolice) May 22, 2017
Witnesses from the concert have said that they heard what sounded like explosions at the end of the show around 10:30 pm. At least one of the bombs went off in the foyer area of the arena.
“We saw young girls with blood on them,” Said concertgoer Sasina Akhtar about the incident, “everyone was screaming and people were running.”
Evacuations were held soon after the explosions took place. Parents of lost children were sent to the local holiday inn for refuge, while stranded concertgoers were taken in my local residents in the area.
All the chaos and confusion spread on social media, with people posting videos of the crowd screaming and running from their seats, while others posted pleas to help find their lost loved ones.
Witness Karen Ford, said that she was just leaving the area when the first explosion went off. “Everyone tried to push people off the stairs. It was very very very loud..just chaos..I was trying to tell people to calm down.”
EXPLOSION AT MANCHESTER ARENA AND EVERYONE RAN OUT SO SCARY😭 pic.twitter.com/pJbUBoELtE
— ♡♡ (@hannawwh) May 22, 2017
