Children were among 22 people killed in a suicide bombing at a pop concert in the British city of Manchester, the country’s deadliest terror attack in 12 years.
Screaming fans, many of them teenagers, fled the venue in panic after the bomb blast, which came at the end of a concert by US star Ariana Grande in the northern English city late on Monday, AFP reported.
Police said the attacker was believed to be “carrying an improvised explosive device which he detonated causing this atrocity” and had himself died at the scene, but gave no further details about him.
One victim reported seeing nuts and bolts that could have been packed into a bomb and said he was injured by shrapnel, others saw glass after the blast smashed windows at the venue.
The blast occurred in the foyer of the indoor arena, a covered area that links the auditorium to Victoria Station, a train and tram hub.
Witnesses reported being near the arena’s ticket machines and merchandise stores, as chaos ensued inside the concert hall.
Ambulances and bomb disposal teams rushed to the venue, as family members frantically searched for their loved ones, and residents opened their doors to stranded concert-goers after trains were cancelled.
Greater Manchester Police chief Ian Hopkins said on Tuesday there was an unspecified number of children among the 22 dead, while 59 people were also injured.
Police believe the blast was carried out by one man and are trying to find out whether he was acting alone.
The attack was the deadliest in Britain since July 7, 2005, when four suicide bombers inspired by Al-Qaeda attacked London’s transport system during rush hour, killing 52 people and wounding 700 more.
It also revived memories of the November 2015 attack at the Bataclan concert hall in Paris in which armed men wearing explosive belts stormed in and killed 90 people. That attack was claimed by the self-styled Islamic State terrorist group.
World Leaders Condemn
British Prime Minister Theresa May condemned the “appalling terrorist attack” and suspended her campaign for the general election on June 8 along with chief opposition leader, Jeremy Corbyn.
US President Donald Trump led condolences from political leaders across the globe, as well as stars from the world of music and football.
Trump, speaking during a visit to Bethlehem, said “evil losers” were behind the attack.
Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the “cynical, inhuman crime” and offered to boost anti-terrorism cooperation with Britain, while German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron also expressed condolences.
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