22 killed, 59 injured in Manchester concert explosion
Teen student named as first victim of Manchester Arena suicide bombing
Published : 23 May 2017, 09:16
Updated : 23 May 2017, 15:22
A total of 22 people, including children, were killed and 59 others injured in a suicide terror attack at Manchester Arena Monday night, police announced on Tuesday.
"We have been treating this as a terrorist incident and we believe that the attack last night was conducted by one man. The priority is to establish whether he was acting alone or as part of a network," Greater Manchester Police said in a statement.
Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police Ian Hopkins said:" The attacker, I can confirm, died at the arena. We believe the attacker was carrying an improvised explosive device which he detonated causing this atrocity."
Those injured are being treated at eight hospitals across Greater Manchester, the statement said.
Manchester police confirmed that the blast was reported to them at 22:33 summer time (2133 GMT) at the end of a pop concert by U.S. singer Ariana Grande.
"This has been the most horrific incident we have had to face in Greater Manchester and one that we all hoped we would never see," the statement said.
More than 400 officers are deployed to deal with the terrorist attack, it added.
College student Georgina Bethany Callander was the first victim to be named Tuesday following the suicide bombing at the Manchester Arena.
She was one of 22 killed in the bombing which came at the end of a concert at the arena by the American pop icon Ariana Granda.
Runshaw College Sixth Form Center in Leyland, a town north of Manchester, announced the death of its student on its official site.
The college said: "It is with enormous sadness that it appears that one of the people who lost their lives in Monday's Manchester attack was one of our students here at Runshaw College."
"Georgina Callander was a former Bishop Rawstorne pupil studying with us on the second year of her Health and Social Care course," said the college.
It also expressed its sympathy to the friends and families of the victims.
Friends and classmates of the teenager, a devoted Ariana Grande superfan, have flooded social media sites with messages of sympathy to express their shock and grief at her death.
Bishop Rawsthorne school also posted a message on its own site about Georgina.
It said: "Our thoughts go out to Georgina's family at this terrible time and we think especially of her brothers Harry and Daniel who are also former students of the school. All of our students will gather together today for a time of prayer and reflection and to give thanks for the life of Georgina."
Georgina was at the concert with her friends, having sent a message at the weekend to Ariana Grande to tell her how much she was looking forward to the Manchester concert.
Friends of the student said she had been rushes, alive, to hospital after the explosion, but died in hospital.
Daisy Gill, who was at the concert with Georgina, posted a photograph of them and wrote on social media: "Rest in peace Gina my angel, we were both having such an incredible evening and I can't believe it ended this way."
Another friend, Sophie Marsh, also posted a message: "To my beautiful best friend I hope you rest in peace my darling. I love you so much and will always miss you."