Manchester Arena concert 'explosion': At least 19 dead, 50 injured after Ariana Grande gig in UK

23 May 2017,

(Translation of this article appears in Arabic section)

At least 19 people are dead and about 50 others injured in a suspected terrorist incident at a concert in northern England where Ariana Grande had been performing, British police have confirmed.

Greater Manchester Police said they received reports of an explosion at Manchester Arena just after 10:30pm (local time).

Video posted on Twitter showed hundreds of fans fleeing the venue, while a witness said she "felt the blast in her chest".

"We were making our way out and when we were right by the door there was a massive explosion and everybody was screaming," Catherine Macfarlane said.

Other concertgoers said they heard "one or two loud bangs" at the end of the concert as the lights were coming back on.

Earlier reports said an explosion had happened in the foyer but a statement from Manchester Arena said the incident took place "outside the venue".

Residents living nearby said the bangs were loud enough to shake their apartment.

Get the latest developments from Manchester in our live blog.

Witness Harry Johnson told a local radio station that when people heard the explosions, they ducked for cover as fast as possible.

"People were just looking around and no-one really knew what to do. Then there was just screaming and shouting," he said.

Mr Johnson said as chaos ensued, people had difficulty trying to exit the venue through the stairwells.

"There was no space between anyone. Everyone was squished together trying to get out. It took around a minute to get out."

'We saw blood on people'

Local man David Richardson was at the concert with his 13-year-old daughter Emily.

"The lights came on after the gig and people were starting to leave. As I turned to the left there was an explosion," Mr Richardson told Manchester Evening News.

"It was about 40 foot behind us near one of the exits. We just thought it was people messing about … then it happened again.

"Then we saw the smoke. Everyone just fled… We saw blood on people when we got outside — People were just running all over the place."

A spokesman for Grande said the performer was not hurt.

The 23-year-old singer, who started her career as a star on a Nickelodeon TV series, is on an international tour supporting her 2016 album Dangerous Woman.

The tour was scheduled to continue on Thursday at the O2 Arena in London.

Manchester Arena is the largest indoor arena in Europe, with a capacity of 21,000 — but it's not yet known how many people attended the concert.

Britain is on its second-highest alert level of "severe" meaning an attack by militants is considered highly likely.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said the Australian High Commission in London was making urgent enquiries to determine if any Australians had been hurt.