The ‘victims’ of terror attack in Manchester
Polish couple among killed
LONDON, May 24: At least 22 people died in Monday night’s bombing attack on a Manchester pop concert, including an eight-year-old girl and several parents who had come to pick up their children.
Here is what we know so far about the victims of the terror attack, the deadliest in Britain since the 2005 London bombings:
‘Beautiful little girl’
Eight-year-old Saffie Rose Roussos from Leyland, a town in Lancashire, northwest England, is so far the youngest named victim.
She attended the concert with her mother and older sister. Friends said they were both being treated for their injuries in hospital.
Chris Upton, headteacher at the Tarleton Community Primary School, described Saffie as “a beautiful little girl in every sense of the word”.
“She was loved by everyone and her warmth and kindness will be remembered fondly. Saffie was quiet and unassuming with a creative flair,” he said.
“The thought that anyone could go out to a concert and not come home is heartbreaking.”
Worst fears confirmed
Charlotte Campbell spent the hours after the attack desperately searching for her 15-year-old daughter Olivia, but on Wednesday she confirmed that she had died.
“RIP my darling precious gorgeous girl Olivia Campbell taken far far too soon,” she wrote on Facebook, alongside a picture of her daughter.
“Go sing with the angels and keep smiling mummy loves you so much.”
She had earlier appealed in the media for any news of the teenager, who had been at the concert with her friend Adam. He was being treated in hospital.
Charlotte Campbell said they had spoken at about 8:30pm, two hours before the blast, adding: “She’d just seen the support act and said she was having an amazing time and thanking me for letting her go.”
‘Always smiling, always positive’
Nell Jones was in year nine, which is usually for pupils aged 13 and 14, at Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School and Sixth Form College in Cheshire in northern England.
“Nell was a very popular girl, always smiling, always positive,” her form tutor David Wheeler said in a statement.
Her fellow students feel “like they have lost a sister, not a classmate,” he said.
The school also issued a statement on behalf of the family of Freya Lewis, another year nine pupil, saying she had been “badly injured” in the attack.
“Freya has been sewn, bolted, drilled and bandaged back together,” said her father, Nick Lewis.
“It is going to be a long climb but we are on the first step.”
‘Lovely young student’
The death of Georgina Callander, believed to be 18, was confirmed by her school, the Runshaw College Sixth Form Centre in Lancashire, northwest England, where she had been studying health and social care.
Her former school, Bishop Rawstorne Church of England Academy, brought together students to pray for her and remember her life.
“Georgina was a lovely young student who was very popular with her peers and the staff and always made the most of the opportunities she had at the school,” it said.
Friends waiting for daughters
Alison Howe, 45, and Lisa Lees, 47, from Oldham, near Manchester, were killed while waiting in the foyer to pick up their daughters, The Daily Mirror reported.
The girls, both aged 15, are believed to be safe.
Howe’s stepson Jordan Howe confirmed her death on Facebook, writing: “They took a caring beautiful mum and step mother away from us all she was amazing to us all x love you loads Alison Howe xx.”
The paper said Lees’s brother, Lee Hunter, also confirmed her death.
Polish couple
A Polish couple living in Britain were also caught in the explosion as they went to collect their daughters, Poland’s Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski said.
Polish media identified them as Angelika and Marcin Klis.
“The parents went to pick up their daughters after the concert and unfortunately this morning we received news that they did not survive the explosion,” he told Poland’s RMF Radio.
Waszczykowski said their daughters were not harmed.
One in a million
John Atkinson, 26, from Bury in Lancashire, was named by friends as one of those killed.
His Facebook account has been “memorialised” -- a process made possible only by verified family members contacting the website directly.
John was “one in a million and loved by so many,” wrote Hayley Turk, who organised an online fund for his family.
“A true gentleman,” she added.
Devastated family
Kelly Brewster, from Sheffield, east of Manchester, was confirmed as one of the victims by her partner Ian Winslow, who paid tribute on Facebook.
“Kelly really was the happiest she has ever been and we had so many things planned together. My daughter Phoebe will be absolutely devastated like we all are,” he said, according to media reports.
Some of those reports indicated that Brewster died shielding her 11-year-old niece from the blast.
‘Center of attention’
PR manager Martyn Hett, 29, from Stockport, near Manchester, had appeared on television shows like “Come Dine With Me” and “Tattoo Fixers”.
“They found my brother last night. We are heartbroken,” his brother Dan wrote on Twitter.
Hett was known as a social media personality and a superfan of the long-running British soap opera “Coronation Street”.
His friend Russell Hayward said: “We got the news last night that our wonderful iconic and beautiful Martyn didn’t survive.
“He left this world exactly how he lived, centre of attention.” ‘Bubby, kind receptionist’
Jane Tweddle was the receptionist for South Shore Academy school in Blackpool, where the head teacher described her as “bubbly, kind, welcoming, funny, generous”.
“Jane was a truly wonderful friend and colleague to all of us,” Jane Bailey said, adding: “She is irreplaceable, much loved and will never be forgotten.”
Tweddle had three daughters and her partner Mark Taylor told the BBC that she was “a very lovely lady”. He said she was killed while waiting for her friend, who survived.
Meanwhile, Rihanna Hardy had been excited about seeing Ariana Grande ever since she got her concert ticket as a Christmas gift. So when the day came, the 11-year-old left school a couple of hours early to make sure to get to Manchester Arena on time.
Her parents, Ryan and Shauna, took the afternoon off work, and the family drove the 140 miles (225 kms) from Newcastle to Manchester. They struggled to find the arena’s multistory parking lot, and barely managed to buy Rihanna a black Ariana Grande tour sweatshirt before the concert started.
But what was supposed to be a special night for Rihanna and thousands of other young concertgoers turned into a tragedy when a suicide bomb blasted off just outside the cavernous hall. It killed 22 people, including an 8-year-old girl, and injured 59 — the deadliest attack in Britain in more than a decade.
“Poor Rihanna ... just kept asking every five or 10 seconds, ‘Are we going to die?’ Those were her exact words,” her father said.
The family took their seats, close to the stage, just before the first of two supporting acts warmed up the crowd. The arena, which seats 21,000, was packed. Many clutched pink balloons and donned cat ears, like those the 23-year-old Grande is famous for wearing.
As the former star of the Nickelodeon series “Victorious” sang and danced her way through her set, the arena heated up. Young children and their parents glistened with sweat.
Then, as the concert ended, the horror began.
Just a few minutes after Grande finished her final song, “Dangerous Woman,” blew a kiss to the audience and left the stage, the house lights came back on. People began filing toward the exits.