Children among 22 killed at Ariana Grande concert
Police were called to reports of an explosion at 10.33pm, shortly after Grande, the US singer, had finished her performance as thousands of people streamed out of the Arena.
A suicide bomber has killed 22 people - including children - in an explosion that tore through fans leaving an Ariana Grande pop concert in Manchester.
At least 59 people were also injured in the blast, which was caused by an improvised explosive device carried by the attacker, at the Manchester Arena on Monday night.
As detectives seek to establish if the attacker was a lone wolf or part of a wider terror network, victims described being thrown by the blast, which scattered nuts and bolts across the floor of the foyer area.
Relatives of at least 13 people missing after the attack - including an eight-year-old girl - have launched frantic searches for their loved-ones.
It is the worst terror attack to hit Britain since the July 2005 suicide bomb attacks in central London in which 52 people were killed and came four years to the day Lee Rigby was murdered by Islamist extremists.
More than 240 calls were made to the emergency services, with 60 ambulances flooding the area and more than 400 police officers deployed as part of the operation.
Frantic loved ones of young people missing after an explosion at an Ariana Grande concert have taken to Twitter and Instagram with their photos and pleas for help.
Announcing that the death toll had risen and that children are among the dead, Greater Manchester Police chief constable Ian Hopkins said: “This has been the most horrific incident we have had to face in Greater Manchester and one that we all hoped we would never see.
“Families and many young people were out to enjoy a concert at the Manchester Arena and have lost their lives.”
Hopkins said investigators believed the attack was conducted by one man who died at the scene, although detectives are working to establish if he “was acting alone or as part of a network”.
One of the survivors, John Young said he was leaving the concert with his wife and daughter slightly early in an attempt to beat the traffic when the explosion happened.
They were on the steps at the arena's main entrance when they heard a “massive bang”, he said, calling the atmosphere “surreal”.
In the initial aftermath outside, rumours were flying around over whether the noise was an exploded speaker or a dropped microphone, he told Sky News.
He told the broadcaster: “There were young children, terrified, crying their eyes out, I saw an elderly man shaking, there were all sorts but nobody seemed to know what had happened.
“My daughter was in absolute bits last night. No nine-year-old girl should see anything like that. It should have been the best day of her life, and it turned into the worst one really.
“I dread to think what would have happened if I hadn't said 'let's leave slightly early'.”
Meanwhile, France's interior minister said his government will be issuing instruction to regional administrators on working with event organisers on how to secure public spaces.
After a high-level security meeting in Paris yesterday, Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said organisers of sports events, concerts and other performances already had a series of instructions on how to secure their venues. Collomb said France's airports have also been secured.
France has been on heightened alert since the 13 November 2015, attacks that struck a concert, the national stadium and cafes and bars.
Early yesterday, the Paris mayor's office said all shows and concerts scheduled in coming days are going ahead as planned. Ariana Grande is scheduled to perform in Paris on 7 June.
President Vladimir Putin also said Russia is ready to boost anti-terror cooperation with Britain in the wake of a deadly explosion at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England. In yesterday's day's telegram to British Prime Minister Theresa May, Putin offered condolences over what he called a “cynical, inhuman crime” and wishes for a quick recovery of all those hurt.
Putin reaffirmed Russia's readiness to “expand anti-terror cooperation with British partners, both on bilateral level and within the framework of broad international efforts.”
Britain and other NATO allies have cut cooperation with Moscow on fighting terrorism over Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and support for a pro-Russia insurgency in eastern Ukraine.
Manchester police say an apparent suicide bomber set off an explosive device at the end of the concert, killing 22 people.
Police say they are treating the explosion as terrorism.
THE TELEGRAPH
At least 59 people were also injured in the blast, which was caused by an improvised explosive device carried by the attacker, at the Manchester Arena on Monday night.
As detectives seek to establish if the attacker was a lone wolf or part of a wider terror network, victims described being thrown by the blast, which scattered nuts and bolts across the floor of the foyer area.
Relatives of at least 13 people missing after the attack - including an eight-year-old girl - have launched frantic searches for their loved-ones.
It is the worst terror attack to hit Britain since the July 2005 suicide bomb attacks in central London in which 52 people were killed and came four years to the day Lee Rigby was murdered by Islamist extremists.
More than 240 calls were made to the emergency services, with 60 ambulances flooding the area and more than 400 police officers deployed as part of the operation.
Frantic loved ones of young people missing after an explosion at an Ariana Grande concert have taken to Twitter and Instagram with their photos and pleas for help.
Announcing that the death toll had risen and that children are among the dead, Greater Manchester Police chief constable Ian Hopkins said: “This has been the most horrific incident we have had to face in Greater Manchester and one that we all hoped we would never see.
“Families and many young people were out to enjoy a concert at the Manchester Arena and have lost their lives.”
Hopkins said investigators believed the attack was conducted by one man who died at the scene, although detectives are working to establish if he “was acting alone or as part of a network”.
One of the survivors, John Young said he was leaving the concert with his wife and daughter slightly early in an attempt to beat the traffic when the explosion happened.
They were on the steps at the arena's main entrance when they heard a “massive bang”, he said, calling the atmosphere “surreal”.
In the initial aftermath outside, rumours were flying around over whether the noise was an exploded speaker or a dropped microphone, he told Sky News.
He told the broadcaster: “There were young children, terrified, crying their eyes out, I saw an elderly man shaking, there were all sorts but nobody seemed to know what had happened.
“My daughter was in absolute bits last night. No nine-year-old girl should see anything like that. It should have been the best day of her life, and it turned into the worst one really.
“I dread to think what would have happened if I hadn't said 'let's leave slightly early'.”
Meanwhile, France's interior minister said his government will be issuing instruction to regional administrators on working with event organisers on how to secure public spaces.
After a high-level security meeting in Paris yesterday, Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said organisers of sports events, concerts and other performances already had a series of instructions on how to secure their venues. Collomb said France's airports have also been secured.
France has been on heightened alert since the 13 November 2015, attacks that struck a concert, the national stadium and cafes and bars.
Early yesterday, the Paris mayor's office said all shows and concerts scheduled in coming days are going ahead as planned. Ariana Grande is scheduled to perform in Paris on 7 June.
President Vladimir Putin also said Russia is ready to boost anti-terror cooperation with Britain in the wake of a deadly explosion at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England. In yesterday's day's telegram to British Prime Minister Theresa May, Putin offered condolences over what he called a “cynical, inhuman crime” and wishes for a quick recovery of all those hurt.
Putin reaffirmed Russia's readiness to “expand anti-terror cooperation with British partners, both on bilateral level and within the framework of broad international efforts.”
Britain and other NATO allies have cut cooperation with Moscow on fighting terrorism over Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and support for a pro-Russia insurgency in eastern Ukraine.
Manchester police say an apparent suicide bomber set off an explosive device at the end of the concert, killing 22 people.
Police say they are treating the explosion as terrorism.
THE TELEGRAPH
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