Manchester: At least 22 people were killed and 59 injured in a blast at a concert in the English city of Manchester on Tuesday morning where US singer Ariana Grande had been performing. British police have confirmed that there was only one attacker and that the terrorist has been killed in the explosion.
The police have added that the incident, wherein there are children among those killed, was being treated as a terrorist incident. Police carried out a controlled explosion on a suspect device several hours after the blast.
Prime Minister Theresa May paid tribute to the victims and families of those involved in "the appalling terrorist attack". The government is expected to call an emergency cabinet meeting to deal with the incident.
The blast also came two and half weeks ahead of an election in which Prime Minister Theresa May is predicted by opinion polls to win a large majority.
Paula Robinson, 48, from West Dalton about 40 miles east of Manchester, said she was at the train station next to the arena with her husband when she felt the explosion and saw dozens of teenage girls screaming and running away from arena.
Robinson took dozens of teenage girls to the nearby Holiday Inn Express hotel and tweeted out her phone number to worried parents, telling them to meet her there. She said her phone had not stopped ringing since her tweet.
“Parents were frantic running about trying to get to their children," she said. “There were lots of lots children at Holiday Inn."
broken. from the bottom of my heart, i am so so sorry. i don't have words.? Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) May 23, 2017
Two US officials who spoke on condition of anonymity said that initial signs pointed to a suicide bomber as being responsible for the blast.
Manchester Arena, the largest indoor arena in Europe, opened in 1995 and is a popular concert and sporting venue.
Britain is on its second-highest alert level of "severe" meaning an attack by terrorists is considered highly likely.
British counter-terrorism police have said they are making on average an arrest every day in connection with suspected terrorism.
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