One missing, the other discovered alive in hospital: the two friends on a birthday treat
TWO teenage girls had made the long journey to watch the concert from Barra in the Western Isles, only to be caught up in the chaos.
Their parents flew down to Manchester to carry out a desperate search that lasted 20 hours; last night they finally received the news that one of the girls, Laura Macintyre, 15, was alive in hospital, though badly injured.
Her friend, Eilidh Macleod, 14, remained missing.
Laura was located in intensive care, having suffered serious burns. She had failed to reappear after the concert with her school friend Eilidh, whose mother, Marion, had accompanied them from Barra and was due to meet them outside the arena.
Mrs Macleod mounted a frantic search of hotels and hospitals and was asked by police for detailed descriptions of the girls’ clothing to try to help find them.
As her husband, Roddy, and Laura’s parents, Michael and Nan, arranged to travel to Manchester, islanders in the close-knit community of around 1,000 feared the worst. But Angus Macneil, the local SNP candidate and a close friend of the families, learnt early last night that Laura had been found.
He said he understood the teenager had been badly burnt, suggesting the pair may have been close to the blast, and added that the island was “numb with shock” and worried about Eilidh.
Donald Manford, Eilidh’s great-uncle and an island councillor, said that after so many hours with no information it was a “tremendous relief” to Laura’s family that she had been found alive. He added that relations were still praying for news of Eilidh.
The girls had travelled to Manchester as a birthday treat for Eilidh, and as a reward for doing well in their exams.
Mr Macintyre, a fish farm worker, said earlier that it was his daughter’s first concert and the pair were “big fans” of Ariana Grande. “Laura was so happy to be going down there with her friend,” he said. “I was a bit hesitant about her going to a concert so far away but she seemed so happy.”
The girls are pupils at the 170-pupil Barra Community School and their families have long connections with the island.
Mrs Macleod’s last message from the girls was to say that the last song had started and they would be out soon. She set out to the arena and encountered people running out of the building.
Before leaving Barra, the families issued appeals on social media. Mr Macintyre wrote on Twitter: “Please… please retweet. Looking for my daughter and her friend. Laura Macintyre and Eilidh Macleod.”
Mr Manford said that Eilidh was a bright and “highly motivated” girl, a talented piper, who was looking forward to a special treat with her friend.
He drove Eilidh’s father to the airport on Benbecula, further north in the Western Isles, so that he could catch a flight to Manchester.
Mr Manford said: “He is distressed but he is a very strong individual and they are a very strong family. We are extremely grateful for the understanding and help the family has received from all quarters although I wish we could have some good news.
“It was a treat, a reward for them for their own hard work with their exams. They were very excited and were looking forward to an enjoyable time.”
Mr Macneil, who went to school with Mr Macleod, a merchant seaman, and whose daughter is a close friend of Laura, said Mrs Macleod was “distraught” when he spoke to her earlier in the day after she had been asked for descriptions of the girls’ clothing.
He added: “People are in shock. If you don’t know the kids, you will know their parents or their grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. My heart aches for them and all those caught up in this.”