Manchester terror survivor: “Mums were screaming for their girls – it’ll haunt me forever”
Samantha Cannon and daughter erin were caught up in last week’s devastating terrorist attack in manchester that left 22 dead and scores injured. She reveals how they’re struggling to come to terms with the ordeal
Eleven-year-old E Erin Sowe had been looking forward to seeing her favourite pop star Ariana Grande in concert ever since she received tickets as a surprise gift.
Full of excitement, the schoolgirl and her mum Samantha, 34, posed for a selfie on their way to the show at the Manchester Arena. But the night ended in unspeakable tragedy after a terrorist detonated a nail bomb – the deadliest attack in the UK since 7/7.
Now Samantha – a carer who lives in Manchester with Erin and her other daughter, Bobbi, 16 – says she’s scared Erin will never recover. She reveals: “My heart is broken, so I can only imagine how confused and terrified Erin must be feeling. It could easily have been us – in a way I feel lucky but also so guilty for those who lost their lives.
“Erin has been incredibly quiet since it happened and initially struggled to even eat – I think she’s in shock. I’m desperately worried about how she’ll get over this. I’m only just starting to process it – so many killed so brutally and for what?”
TRAGIC VICTIMS
The bomb went off at 10.35pm near an exit for the train at the 21,000-capacity arena.
Tragically, as Closer went to press, 22 people were dead – including at least eight children – and a further 119 were injured. The youngest victim, Saffie Rose Roussos, was just eight years old and her mother Lisa, 48 – who was in a coma – was yet to be told she is dead.
Islamic State quickly claimed responsibility for the attack, carried out by British-born Manchester resident Salman Abedi, 22, and police made 10 arrests in connection with the bombing, including his older brother Salman, and a 16-year-old boy.
Understandably, the atrocity, which came exactly two months after the Westminster attack in which five victims were killed, sparked fear across the country – with PM Theresa May raising the terrorism threat to critical and deploying armed troops to patrol streets.
Samantha and her daughter were approaching the exit when the home-made bomb containing nails, screws and bolts exploded.
TERRIFYING
She says: “We were laughing and singing when there was a loud bang. Thick, acridsmelling smoke drifted towards us and a stampede of people shouting and screaming rushed past. I thought there must be a fire as I could smell burning hair and plastic. Erin screamed:
❛ erin was so excited – just hours after this photo we ran for our lives❜
‘Mummy, get me out’ and ran into the crowd. I managed to grab her before I lost sight of her. I panicked we were going to die.
“At the exit dozens of mums were screaming: ‘Where’s my daughter?’ Injured children as young as four or five limped past covered in blood and others lay lifeless on the floor.
“It was the most terrifying thing I’ve ever seen – it’ll haunt me forever. Erin was crying uncontrollably and clinging on to my cardigan – I wanted to help people but I had to get her to safety. In the car park, people were screaming, crying and holding each other.”
Then Samantha heard people saying there’d been a bomb. She says: “Terrorism hadn’t crossed my mind – I thought a children’s concert would be safe. I kept telling Erin it was just a fire, so she wouldn’t be scared.”
RUNNING AWAY
Outside, police officers shouted at Samantha and Erin to get as far away from the arena as quickly as possible.
“I grabbed Erin’s hand and began to run,” Samantha says. “We got about halfway home and then one of my friends called Erin on her mobile – mine had run out of charge, but Erin still had four per cent left – and came to pick us up.
“When we got home, I charged my phone and called my family straight away to tell them we were OK – they all thought we’d died. I was crying and shaking so much I couldn’t even turn on the TV. When we finally did put on the news I told Erin that this kind of thing is extremely rare.
“She didn’t sleep well that night – she was really jumpy and talking in her sleep.
“I said she could have the next day off school but she didn’t want to, so I went to work and we both tried to carry on as normal.
“I went to the vigil the next evening to lay flowers – I didn’t take Erin in case it was too much. She’s been very quiet.
“I’m going to take her for counselling because she’s overwhelmed. In fact, it took her a while to even cry.
“But we have to find a way to carry on – we can’t let them win.”