‘I’M GLAD I LEFT THE ARENA LATER’
Bomb exploded at an entrance near where we sat, says concert-goer
“IHEARD a loud boom, and when I looked up to see, everyone had already started screaming and running.”
These were the words of Wan Amalia Wan Jazmi, who was having a fun night out with her two friends at an Ariana Grande concert when an explosion rocked the foyer entrance of the Manchester Arena in England on Monday night.
Amalia, 27, said the show was coming to an end when the blast reverberated through the building.
“The bomb exploded at the upper entrance while I was seated at the bottom area. It was really near where we sat.
“At that time, some of the concertgoers had already made their way out through the entrance and exit.
“I am so thankful that I decided to exit slightly later. If I had exited earlier, I would have surely been affected,” said Amalia, who is a caterer in Selangor.
Amalia, who has been on a holiday in England for a week, recounted the moment she heard the explosion.
“It was so chaotic. People were running and ramming into each other. Children were crying.
“We were so scared, but my friends and I just ran to our car.”
Amalia said many ambulances and a helicopter were outside the arena.
There were also roadblocks and policemen, and the train stations were shut down, she said.
“Many people were stranded. Luckily, we drove there.
“We used back roads that were not blocked to get to our place in Turner Street, which is about 15 minutes from the arena.”
After initially feeling traumatised, Amalia said she was now relieved.
She was scheduled to leave for Malaysia yesterday night.