At least 19 dead, 50 injured in suspected terror attack in Manchester

At least 19 people were killed and 50 were injured in an explosion at an arena where American pop star Ariana Grande had been performing in Manchester, England on Monday night, in what police suspect may be a terror attack.

Greater Manchester Police said in a statement: “Just before 10.35 p.m. on Monday 22 May 2017, police were called to reports of an explosion at Manchester Arena. So far 19 people have been confirmed dead, with around 50 others injured. This is currently being treated as a terrorist incident until police know otherwise.”

The Manchester Arena said the attack occurred outside the venue, in a public space. Clear details were not immediately available.

Ambulances rushed to the Manchester Arena venue and police asked people to avoid the area. Bomb disposal units were seen at the scene after the explosion.

Police announced several hours after the incident that they were carrying out a controlled explosion of a second suspect device.

“There will be a controlled explosion in Cathedral gardens shortly if you hearing anything don’t be concerned,” the police tweeted Monday.

The singer was not harmed in the incident, her representatives said.

Witnesses described seeing a number of what appeared to be bodies after the explosion.

Andy Holey told the BBC that he had gone to pick up his wife and daughter from the concert when “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,” he said.

“A huge bomb-like bang went off that hugely panicked everyone and we were all trying to flee the arena,” concert-goer Majid Khan, 22, told Britain’s Press Association. “It was one bang and essentially everyone from the other side of the arena where the bang was heard from suddenly came running towards us as they were trying to exit.”

“The bang echoed around the foyer of the arena and people started to run,” said Oliver Jones, 17.

Video from inside the arena showed concertgoers screaming as they made their way out amid a sea of pink balloons. Another clip showed panicked concertgoers running down a flight of stairs.

One witness told CBS News that the explosion “scared so many, it caused a stampede.” Sky News reported that the explosion went off at approximately 10:40 p.m. local time.

Suzy Mitchell, whose apartment is opposite the venue said: “(I) just heard a huge bang from my bed, came out to the front of my apartment and everyone was running away in big crowds.”

Several media outlets reported that there had been two explosions from within the 21,000 capacity venue.

People took to social media to try to track down family members and friends who had been at the concert and who were not responding to calls or texts.

Train services to and from Manchester Victoria Station — located under the Arena — were cancelled.

“Emergency services are dealing with an incident near Manchester Victoria, resulting in all lines being closed,” operator Northern Railway wrote on its website.

Britain’s terrorist threat level has been set at “severe” in recent years indicating an attack is highly likely.