At least 19 people are dead and 59 more injured after a suspected suicide bomber targeted children leaving a packed pop concert at Manchester Arena last night in Britain's worst terror attack since 7/7.
Witnesses told of nuts and bolts tearing into young gig-goers when the blast was detonated in the foyer area between the arena and the next-door Victoria station just after the Ariana Grande performance ended.
One image captured bodies of the dead and injured lying in an area between the arena and the next-door Victoria station, which had been packed with people leaving the venue as the gig wound down.
As the explosion tore through the lobby, terrified youngsters stampeded for the sold-out 21,000-seater stadium's exits in horrifying scenes caught on mobile phone cameras. Witnesses described the carnage as being 'like a war zone'.
Armed police, the bomb squad and scores of emergency vehicles descended on the venue in the aftermath of the explosion, which took place at 10:35pm last night.
Shortly after 1.30am, a controlled explosion was carried out in the Cathedral Gardens near Manchester Arena, but police later confirmed the suspicious package had been an item of clothing.
Officials in the US said their UK counterparts had identified a possible male suicide bomber as being responsible for the atrocity. In a 3am press conference, Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Ian Hopkins confirmed his force were treating it as a terror attack.
An hour later, US star Grande, who escaped unharmed, tweeted she was 'broken'.
'From the bottom of my heart, I am so so sorry. I don't have words,' she added. Her manager Scooter Braun said: 'We mourn for the children.'
Sad sirens: Grande's pop peers such as Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Harry Styles and Selena Gomez chimed in with thoughts and prayers on the catastrophic evening
World Monuments pay tribute to victims of the Manchester terror attack
The lights of the Eiffel tower fell dark at midnight in Paris on Tuesday to honor the victims of the suicide attack at an Ariana Grande concert that left 22 people dead
The Union Jack could be seen for miles after the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, UAE lit up with the famous design to show solidarity with the UK
Closer to home Wembley stadium saw the colours of the St George's Cross shone onto its arch and the screen outside the ground had a written tribute to Manchester
Belfast City Hall illuminated in the colours of the UK's flag the day after A nail bomb was detonated outside the Manchester Arena after a concert mainly attended by young people
People sit in front of the famous water fountain Le Jet d'Eau in Geneva, Switzerland as the UK's colours are splashed into the water
World Monuments pay tribute to victims of the Manchester terror attack
The Union Jack could be seen for miles after the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, UAE lit up with the famous design to show solidarity with the UK
Closer to home Wembley stadium saw the colours of the St George's Cross shone onto its arch and the screen outside the ground had a written tribute to Manchester
Belfast City Hall illuminated in the colours of the UK's flag the day after A nail bomb was detonated outside the Manchester Arena after a concert mainly attended by young people
People sit in front of the famous water fountain Le Jet d'Eau in Geneva, Switzerland as the UK's colours are splashed into the water
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