Hospitals across the region were on alert
HOSPITALS across Greater Manchester were put on full alert as the numbers of dead and injured began to soar.
Staff from every department immediately volunteered to join teams already drafted in.
Members of the public were urged to keep away from A&E units as emergency plans swung into action to cope with the casualties as 59 were brought in for treatment.
At Wythenshawe Hospital we met Jess, 20, and her father, David.
Jess had been with her sister Hannah, 17, at the Ariana Grande concert.
Describing the moment she heard the huge explosion she said: “We had just come through the main doors near the McDonald’s and we’d stopped just a few metres away.
“I just heard this blast and knew straight away what it was.
“My sister was on the floor face down. She had been thrown down, a few people had. I don’t know how I wasn’t.
“I knew what it was. I could see smoke and that sound could not have been anything else. I just knew we had to get out of there.
“My sister picked herself up and her hand was covered in blood. It’s badly damaged.
“I just grabbed her and screamed ‘you need to run’ and dragged her to the football museum.
“The NHS staff have been amazing. I was not injured but I was in shock.”
The girls’ dad, David, had parked up close to the Arena, ready to pick his daughters up after the concert.
He said he heard the ‘unmistakable’ sound of an explosion and immediately started running towards the venue.
He said: “I just heard this humongous thud of a blast. I knew what it was but I couldn’t see smoke.
“Jess ran and said ‘come and get us, Hannah has been hurt’.
“I was shouting for her but she couldn’t hear because the blast had damaged her ears.
“We started to walk away as the emergency services were arriving.”
The family drove to Stepping Hill hospital before being transferred to Wythenshawe at around 2am.
Hannah is staying as an inpatient at the hospital awaiting surgery to her damaged hand.
David, who spoke while wearing a white bloodspattered top, added: “Every operating theatre in there is full.
“It’s very quiet and calm. Nobody is jumping around, they’re all doing their jobs. It’s very impressive.
“It sticks two fingers up to the people who did this.”
North Manchester General was on lock down, only allowing access to emergency patients and ambulances.
Security guards were at the entrance to the main car park and questioning people as they arrived.