Timeline: How events unfolded
Doors open at Manchester Arena in the north of the city centre. US pop singer Ariana Grande is on the bill for a sell-out concert at the 21,000-capacity venue. Fans, many of them teenage girls, excitedly share selfies as they wait for the show to begin.
Multiple reports of an explosion heard inside the Manchester Arena following an Ariana Grande concert.
Greater Manchester Police said they were called to the venue at around 10.35pm and closed roads around the area.
A heavy presence of armed police officers and other emergency services is visible in the area surrounding Manchester Arena and Victoria Station. Police declare major incident after confirming there were ‘a number of fatalities and several injured’, police confirmed a major incident.
A bomb disposal unit was seen arriving at the scene. A controllled explosion was later carried out in Cathedral Gardens, but officers confirmed that it was abandoned clothing, not a suspicious item. US singer Ariana Grande confirmed safe by her spokesman. Scores of patients were rushed into A&E at the Manchester Royal Infirmary. Hospitals later reported being overwhelmed and said they could only treat the most seriously injured. 19 dead, 50 injured in ‘terror attack’ GMP have released a statement. It says: “So far 19 people have been confirmed dead, with around 50 others injured. This is currently being treated as a terrorist incident until police know otherwise.”
Those at Wythenshawe A&E department described scenes of ‘chaos’ in the major trauma unit as dozens of patients arrived at the hospital. Again, they were asked to make way for serious emergencies.
Facebook switched on its ‘safety check’ feature for Manchester after the explosion. It allows users to connect with friends and loved ones during a crisis.
National Rail said Victoria Station will remain closed all day on Tuesday. The station was evacuated earlier and all lines were closed immediately.
Prime Minister Theresa May said her thoughts are with the victims and families of those affected in “what is being treated by the police as an appalling terrorist attack”.
Theresa May suspended her General Election campaign. Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron also cancelled a planned campaign trip to Gibraltar. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said it was a ‘terrible incident’.
The Government will hold an emergency Cobra committee later on Tuesday.
GMP Chief Constable Ian Hopkins held a press conference during which he confirmed that 19 people have died and 50 others were injured.
An emergency hotline has been set up for anyone worried about their friends and relatives. It is 0161 856 9400.
Northern Rail say Victoria Station was to remain closed all day on Tuesday. It is unlikely to re-open until Wednesday morning at the earliest.
Council leader Sir Richard Leese says there is no intelligence to suggest there is a further threat to Manchester. There will be a heavy armed police presence in the city centre today.
GMP Chief Constable Ian Hopkins confirms 22 people were killed in the attack, including children. The attack was carried out by a lone suicide bomber.
US President Donald Trump expresses his ‘deepest condolences’ and calls those responsible ‘evil losers’.
After chairing a Cobra meeting, Prime Minister Theresa May says the attacker has been identified by security services, but does not release details. She says the ‘callous’ attack was ‘among the worst terrorism we have experienced in the United Kingdom’.
GMP says it has arrested a 23-year-old man in South Manchester in connection with the incident
18-year-old Georgina Bethany Callander is named as the first victim in the Manchester terror attack. She’d been enjoying the concert with her friends at the time of the blast, caused by a lone suicide bomber.
The Arndale shopping centre was evacuated while police investigated a suspicious item and made sure the area was safe. It was re-opened soon after. A heavy armed police presence was also reported at the Trafford Centre in the wake of the bomb attack. Islamic State claims responsibility for the atrocity
Eight-year-old Saffie Rose Roussos was killed in the attack. Saffie, believed to be from Tarleton,