Earlier today, an explosion at Ariana Grande‘s concert in Manchester brought the entire world to a standstill. A bomb-like explosion which took place at the end of the show outside the venue at a public place, not only triggered chaos amongst the audience at the Manchester Arena but also led to the death of 22 people and left more than 59 people injured.
EXPLOSION AT MANCHESTER ARENA AND EVERYONE RAN OUT SO SCARY😭 pic.twitter.com/pJbUBoELtE
— ♡♡ (@hannawwh) May 22, 2017
“We were all exiting the venue when around 10:40 to 10:45 p.m.-ish a huge bomb-like bang went off that hugely panicked everyone and we were all trying to flee the area,” a concertgoer told the Guardian. With the police treating the incident as a suspected terrorist attack, investigations are currently under way. Moreover, Greater Manchester chief constable Ian Hopkins issued an official statement alongside the US Department of Homeland Security which you can read below. Ariana’s team also confirmed that she’s okay, and the female pop star later made her first official statement about the tragedy via Twitter.
As we continue to gather more information, our thoughts and prayers with all those affected by this horrible incident. Stay tuned for the latest updates.
broken.
from the bottom of my heart, i am so so sorry. i don't have words.— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) May 23, 2017
Greater Manchester chief constable Ian Hopkins:
I can confirm the details of events tonight that we currently know. At around 10.33pm last night we received reports of an explosion at the Manchester Arena in the city centre. It was at the conclusion of an Ariana Grande concert.
Currently we have 19 people confirmed to have died and around 50 people injured.The injured are being treated at six hospitals across Greater Manchester. My thoughts are with all those who have been affected and we are doing all we can to support them.
Officers from GMP and emergency services are working at the scene and are supporting those affected. We are coordinating the response from GMP headquarters.
An emergency number is available for those who are concerned about loved ones or anyone who may have been in the area. It is 0161 856 9400.
We are currently treating this as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise. We are working closely with the national counter-terrorism policing network and UK intelligence partners.
This is clearly a concerning time for people but we are doing all we can, working with local and national agencies to support those affected and gather information about what has happened tonight. As you will understand, we are still receiving information and updates, so will provide more details when we have a clearer picture.
I want to thank people for their support and would ask them to remain vigilant and if they have any concerns report them in confidence to us on the anti-terrorist hotline: 0800 789321.
It is important people avoid the area so that we can effectively deal with the incident.
US Dept Of Homeland Security:
We are working with our foreign counterparts to obtain additional information about the cause of the reported explosion as well as the extent of injuries and fatalities.
US citizens in the area should heed direction from local authorities and maintain security awareness. We encourage any affected US citizens who need assistance to contact the US embassy in London and follow department of state guidance.
At this time, we have no information to indicate a specific credible threat involving music venues in the United States. However, the public may experience increased security in and around public places and events as officials take additional precautions.
We stand ready to assist our friends and allies in the UK in all ways necessary as they investigate and recover from this incident.
Our thoughts and prayers are with those affected by this incident.
H/T: Your EDM
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