It is unclear whether any of the 22 victims of last night’s suspected terrorist attack at the Manchester Arena are from Cheshire.
The world is today waking up to the news of a tragic atrocity on our doorstep in Manchester city centre after a suicide bomber is believed to have blown himself up in the foyer around 10.33pm, killing 22 and leaving 59 injured.
The explosive device was detonated immediately following a concert by American singer Ariana Grande attended by thousands of teenagers and their parents including many from this area.
Both Cheshire Police and Greater Manchester Police are saying it is ‘too early’ to talk about where the victims are from at this stage.
Chronicle reader Tracy Meaney, who lives in Chester but hails from Ellesmere Port originally, messaged the newspaper to say: “I was at the MEN last night with my 12-year-old daughter. It was a terrifying ordeal. We were lucky. We are alive. Them poor lives lost and families who’ve lost them, it’s heartbreaking.”
The mum and daughter heard the loud explosion when the floor ‘shook’ which they initially assumed must be a blown loudspeaker and got caught up in the panic as they made their way down four flights of stairs.
Thinking of those who have lost lives, Tracy added: “I feel totally sick, it’s disgusting.”
Former Chester City FC striker Ryan Lowe is in shock after picking up family members from the concert last night.
He tweeted: “Picked my little girl and sister in laws up from MEN and that bang was loud, can’t believe it...worried for other kids x #werehomesave.”
This morning he added: “Woke up to the news, can’t believe what am reading. Innocent kids with mums and dads at concert, sick world we live in! #PrayerForManchester.”
Labour’s Ellesmere Port and Neston parliamentary candidate Justin Madders agrees with a decision by national political leaders to suspend campaigning in the wake of the attack.
He posted: “Right to suspend campaigning today, our thoughts are with those who have lost loved ones in that terrible incident in Manchester.”
GMP Chief Constable Ian Hopkins, a former Cheshire officer whose previous roles included serving as divisional commander for Chester and Ellesmere Port, said in a statement this morning: “This has been the most horrific incident we have had to face in Greater Manchester and one we all hoped we would never see.
"Families and many young people were out to enjoy a concert at the Manchester Arena and have lost their lives.
“Our thoughts are with those 22 victims that we now know have died, the 59 people who have been injured and their loved ones. We continue to do all we can to support them. They are being treated at eight hospitals across Greater Manchester.”
He added: “We have been treating this as a terrorist incident and we believe that while the attack last night was conducted by one man the priority is to establish if he was acting alone or as part of an network.
“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.”
Cheshire Chief Constable Simon Byrne expressed his support on Twitter: “Cheshire Police stands ready to support @gmpolice this morning after the awful events in Manchester last night.”
Former Cheshire and Greater Manchester Chief Constable Peter Fahy commented on social media: “Incredible response by GMP and all the emergency services rushing to the scene helped by so many ordinary Manchester folk #WeStandTogether.”
And Gary Barlow , from Frodsham, whose supergroup Take That performed at the arena last weekend and are due back there again from Thursday, added his thoughts.
He tweeted: “Sad, sad news from Manchester. Praying for all the victims and families involved.”
Manchester was the scene of an IRA bomb back in 1996 which destroyed the Arndale Centre but fortunately nobody was killed after Granada TV received a coded warning and police evacuated the city centre.
And nearby Warrington was devastated by an IRA bomb in 1993 which claimed the lives of 12-year-old victim Tim Parry and three-year-old Johnathan Ball.
