So I know that most people may have already heard about the terrorist attack on Manchester, England. What a sad world when you cannot even enjoy a simple outing without fearing for your life. Thousands of people gathered inside Manchester Arena to watch Ariana Grande perform.
The explosion was located right outside of the seating area of the arena. At least 22 people were killed and at least 59 people are injured, 19 of them in critical condition. It is unclear who died from the explosions and who died in the stampede afterward. After two hours, the police have declared this as a terrorist attack. Police are treating this as the act of suicide bomber, now identified as a British-Libyan man named Salman Abedi. Isis has now claimed responsibility for the attack. Ariana Grande has canceled the rest of her tour.
"It was meant to be a dream, not a nightmare. There were children, blood, shoes, splattered all over the floor. How can I explain any of this to a 14-year-old? She hasn't said a word since she woke up from two hours' sleep." —Lisa Conway, 49, who brought her 14-year-old daughter to the concert
"It came from outside near the main foyer, I think. I heard the sound and immediately saw everybody's reactions of fear and panic. It didn't seem real, and, initially, I had no idea how to react. I had no choice but to run with the hundreds of screaming parents, children and fans all heading toward the nearest exit. My head was filled with panic and terror, and my focus was on not losing my friend in the crowd. I was right behind him and made sure it stayed that way. I saw one woman's shoe had come off, but she didn't stop to go back for it, and I don't blame her ... It was complete chaos outside, with crowds of people crying on the phone and trying to get away from the arena." —Joe Ryan
"I looked to my right and there was just a decomposed body. All you could see was just flesh. Then there was another bang, but we weren't sure what it was, 'cause it wasn't as loud as the other one. But then everyone was freaking out again, running. To be experiencing that at such a young age, seeing dead bodies, it was horrible." —Natalie Sully
"I turned around and then felt like hundreds of people were falling on me. I couldn't turn back. I felt so helpless. But Patty never came out and I refused to leave until I was forced away by the paramedics and the police. I didn't know what to do, where to go. I didn't have a phone. I just kept screaming for Patty. Three hours of not knowing whether my daughter was dead or alive. How do we go back to normal after this? The tragedy shows that this can happen anywhere, at any time." —Louise Reid, 48, who was separated from her 15-year-old daughter, Patty, when the crowd started exiting, but then was reunited with her at a nearby hotel
"People were just trying to get out of the arena as fast as they possibly could after the blast. I was directly in front of the stage at the heart of the arena. I had exactly the same distance to get out of any of the doors. I had my best friend with me and I grabbed hold of her wrist and told her never let go of me. We just ran, we jumped over chairs, railings to get out of the doors, we had to force open doors that wouldn't open because people were trying to get to — the entire capacity of the 20,000 person arena were trying to get out of one exit." —Joseph Harries
"Ariana had just finished her last song. We were getting ready to leave the arena and the next minute we heard a mighty bang coming from the left-hand side of the arena. Everyone went crazy and was running and screaming and trying to get out and jumping over seats. How we weren't crushed to death is amazing. People were just pushing and pushing and pushing. The stewards were screaming at people to get out." —Carole Long, who was with her 10-year-old daughter, Robin
"[There were] a lot of children with blood all over them crying and screaming. We were having to pull nails out of their arms, and a couple out of this little girl's face. Some lady, she got cut from her side, so my mate had to hold her legs up ... we just held her legs up because we thought she was just going to bleed right out. They needed the help, I'd like to think that someone would come and help me if I needed the help. If I didn't help, I wouldn't be able to live with myself for walking away and leaving kids like that. Just because I'm homeless it doesn't mean that I haven't got a heart and I'm not human still." —Stephen Jones, 35, who was sleeping outside the arena at the time of the explosion
My heart goes out to all of the people affected by this horrible tragedy. There is no reason for any of this to ever happen to anyone. There should be no reason for people to be scared to leave their houses. There should be no reason for people to be on edge at all times. There should be no reason why people are going to have these flashbacks for the rest of their lives now, and possibly never attend a concert again. There should be no reason for any of it. We all need to be there for each other. We may have different backgrounds, different religions, different beliefs but no matter what WE ARE ALL HUMAN. Manchester, my prayers go out to you. I hope one day you will find peace from this horrific event.
https://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2017/05/ariana-...
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/salman-abedi-named-manch...
http://www.seventeen.com/life/a47453/eyewitness-ac...
