sbl Posted May 22, 2017 Share Posted May 22, 2017 Quote A number of people have died and others have been injured following a reported explosion at Manchester Arena. Witnesses reported hearing a "huge bang" following a pop concert by US singer Ariana Grande. Greater Manchester Police said there are a "number of confirmed fatalities and others injured". Witnesses said they heard two loud bangs, reported to be near the ticket office of the arena. The cause of the reported explosion is unknown. Manchester Victoria station, which is close to the concert venue, has been closed and all trains cancelled. The BBC's Tim Ashburn, who is at the scene, spoke to some volunteer paramedics who treated the injured for "shrapnel-like injuries". A number of eyewitnesses have described the confusion in the aftermath. Andy Holey, who had gone to the arena to pick up his wife and daughter who had been at the concert, said: "As I was waiting, an explosion went off and it threw me about 30 feet from one set of doors to the other set of doors. "When I got up I saw bodies lying on the ground. My first thought was to go into the Arena to try to find my family. "When I couldn't find them, I went outside with the police and fire and looked through some of the bodies to try and find my wife and daughter. "I managed to find them eventually and they're OK. "It was definitely an explosion and it was some force. It happened near the box office at the entrance to the Arena." Robert Tempkin, 22, from Middlesbrough, said: "Everyone was screaming and running, there were coats and people's phones on the floor. People just dropped everything. "Some people were screaming they'd seen blood but other people were saying it was balloons busting or a speaker had been popped. "There were lots of ambulances. I saw somebody being treated. I couldn't tell what had happened to him." Josh Elliott, speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, said he was shocked by news of the fatalities. "A bang went off and everyone stopped and screamed... we basically hit the deck," he said "It was bedlam… it was horrific. "We got up when we thought it was safe and got out as quickly as possible. "People were just crying and in tears... police cars were everywhere. "We just wanted to get out as quickly as possible because we didn't know what was going on." Manchester Arena, formerly known as the MEN Arena, is the biggest indoor venue in the city with a capacity of around 18,000 for concerts. The arena foyer connects with Victoria train and tram station, a major hub on the northern edge of the city centre. The arena regularly hosts concerts by major stars like Ariana Grande - a 23-year-old American TV teen actress-turned-pop star. She's a big draw for young fans, with hits including Problem, featuring Iggy Azalea, which hit number one in the UK in 2014; and Side To Side, featuring Nicki Minaj, which reached number four last year. She's currently on a European tour - she's already played Birmingham and Dublin and is due to be at the O2 Arena in London on Wednesday and Thursday. Michelle Sullivan, from Huddersfield, was attending the concert with her daughters, aged 12 and 15. "It was really scary," she said. "Just as the lights have gone down we heard a really loud explosion... Everybody screamed. "When we got out they just said 'keep on running, keep on running'." Pat Carney, Manchester City Council's spokesman for the city centre, said the city's thoughts were with the families of those killed and injured. "It's a very easy target - a concert hall where young people are enjoying music," he said. "The public are really co-operating by staying away from what is basically now a crime site. "The world we live in, police and the council have emergency procedures that we practise all the time. "Obviously everyone in the city is shocked, having seen how young some of these people are "The police are treating it as a live site, we don't know if this is the end or there are other incidents in that area... we don't know at the moment." http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-40007886 Praying for Manchester right now. Apparently someone was arrested, and the nearby hotels are keeping kids who don't have their parents or guardians. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebel the Wolfgirl Posted May 23, 2017 Share Posted May 23, 2017 ...Holy shit. Hopefully this isn't another terror attack, though I doubt it isn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbl Posted May 23, 2017 Author Share Posted May 23, 2017 Just now, Renegade the Unicorn said: ...Holy shit. Hopefully this isn't another terror attack, though I doubt it isn't. It might be, police in Manchester have confirmed. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katniss Posted May 23, 2017 Share Posted May 23, 2017 What an awful thing to happen when people just wanted to have a good time at a concert My thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by this. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Biden Posted May 23, 2017 Share Posted May 23, 2017 Damn. That's very tragic. All thoughts and prayers go out to Manchester. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SG19 Posted May 23, 2017 Share Posted May 23, 2017 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/05/22/manchester-arena-evacuated-reports-gunshots-explosion/ 19 confirmed dead Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpongeOddFan Posted May 23, 2017 Share Posted May 23, 2017 this is really sad as timing for Victoria's Day... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebel the Wolfgirl Posted May 23, 2017 Share Posted May 23, 2017 19 dead? Those poor souls...rest in peace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metal Snake Posted May 23, 2017 Share Posted May 23, 2017 Rest in peace to all who died. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crushingmayhem Posted May 23, 2017 Share Posted May 23, 2017 Sounds pretty bad. Rest in peace to all the victims of this tragedy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebel the Wolfgirl Posted May 23, 2017 Share Posted May 23, 2017 Rest in peace. Your memory will not be lost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylie Posted May 23, 2017 Share Posted May 23, 2017 absolutely dreadful to think i was just at this show a month ago. i hate that we'll continue to see situations like this without being able to solve any of it. hopefully the fact that this happened at such a large event will make it linger for a while and inspire us to rise against this kind of terrorism, as it'll only increase if this gets treated the way other recent attacks have been. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhoBibbles Posted May 23, 2017 Share Posted May 23, 2017 Terrorism continues to take over our lives. I'm so sorry for all those who have losses and I hope injured ones will be recovered soon. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clappy Posted May 23, 2017 Share Posted May 23, 2017 Music and concerts are spaces that are suppose to bring us together and give us joy. The fact that an act of terrorism can occur at an event like this is heartbreaking to read about. My thoughts and prayers go to the victims and their families. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
That Excited SpongeKid Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 This is terrible Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NegiSpongie Posted May 25, 2017 Share Posted May 25, 2017 Poor Ariana Grande. She was doing what she loves and ended up losing some of her fans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katniss Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 Ariana is holding a benefit concert in honor of the Manchester attack, and people who attended the Manchester show will get free tickets. Other artists like Justin Bieber, katy Perry, and Coldplay will also be performing. I think that's an incredibly kind and generous thing for her to do. I already love Ari but the way she's handled recent events has made my respect for her go up so much. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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