22 May 2017
Manchester Arena blast: 19 dead and about 50 hurt
By BBC
Police were called to reports of an explosion at the venue at about 22:35 BST following a pop concert by the US singer Ariana Grande.
The cause of the blast is unknown but North West Counter Terrorism unit is treating it as a possible terrorist incident, sources have told the BBC.
Greater Manchester Police is working to set up a contact number for relatives.
Officers have told the BBC there is a second suspect device near where the first explosion occurred.
Reporters were moved away from the scene and a controlled explosion has taken place.
BBC Home Affairs Correspondent Daniel Sandford said senior counter-terrorism officers were assembling in London and liaising with the Home Office.
British Transport Police say the explosion was in the foyer area of Manchester Arena.
Manchester Victoria station, which is close to the concert venue, has been closed and all trains cancelled.
The BBC's Tim Ashburner, 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 30ft 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."
The police activity around the arena has been huge. There are blue flashing lights and cordons seemingly on almost every street corner.
A wide area around the venue itself has been completely taped off, and the crime scene appears to be widening, with police pushing people further and further back.
I've spoken to people who are shaken, scared and often tearful. One thing that's apparent is there are many, many young people, some of them with parents or guardians. One mother told me her priority was simply to get her daughters home.
Other people have been more candid and have described seeing people covered in blood, or being treated by paramedics. There's still a huge sense of confusion and people are constantly searching for information while letting their families know they're safe.
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."
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