Manchester Arena incident

[Ambient Sheep]

I'm seeing mentions on Facebook of some sort of incident at Manchester Arena.  GMP and the BTP are telling people to avoid the area.

Mentions of explosions and/or gunfire at the end of the Ariana Grande gig, although some are saying it was just balloons or exploding speakers.

BBC News is talking about it but they seem to have no more than the above.

EDIT: friend of a friend on FB is a Mum who'd taken her daughter to see the gig, talking about seeing other kids with blood running down their faces. :-(

EDIT 2: BBC saying that Network Rail have reported nearby railway lines are blocked.

[imitationleather]

It's a bit confusing at the moment. The news is getting all it's info from social media, which doesn't seem a great idea for a story like this.

[Ambient Sheep]

Just seen a photo on Facebook of what appears to be a lot of fresh exploded body parts in what looks like an arena entrance.

Grim, if it's not a hoax.

[up_the_hampipe]

Just seen a photo on Facebook of what appears to be a lot of fresh exploded body parts in what looks like an arena entrance.

Grim, if it's not a hoax.

Definitely fake. But there's video of a bunch of ambulances racing to the arena, so something has happened. There's also video from the concert of people screaming and scattering.

[Blue Jam]

People now tweeting that the picture is not of Manchester Arena and that an electrical failure merely caused a balloon to burst. Hopefully true.

[touchingcloth]

Just checking in safe, folks. I'm out of the country, but I'm safe.

Dear lord, deliver us from evil, are boys.

[up_the_hampipe]

People now tweeting that the picture is not of Manchester Arena and that an electrical failure merely caused a balloon to burst. Hopefully true.

That wouldn't make a lot of sense given the statements from police.

[Harpo Speaks]

an electrical failure merely caused a balloon to burst. Hopefully true.

Injuries just as a result of the scramble to escape the Arena possibly?

[Uncle TechTip]

Station is closed and it's described as a "serious incident". Trains and trams are passing through on some services. I also saw a tweet reporting "track was warped" but who knows what is true.

[Ambient Sheep]

People now tweeting that the picture is not of Manchester Arena...

Good to hear.

...and that an electrical failure merely caused a balloon to burst. Hopefully true.

I hope so too, but FOAF - who has been going on about taking her kid to this gig for the last week or so - said she saw wailing kids with cuts and blood down their face, so either (a) it was a balloon full of razor blades, (b) something else bad really has happened, or (c) she's a drama-inventing nutter.  I don't know her well enough to say.


EDIT:

Injuries possibly just as a result of the scramble to escape the Arena possibly?

Yeah, that had just occurred to me too... balloon burst, causes panic, some kids slammed into doors/walls in a panicked stampede, hence cuts & bleeding, but alas, given the police & Network Rail response, I fear it's more serious than that.

[imitationleather]

"track was warped"

Is there a chance the track could bend?

[pancreas]

Please no terrorism until after the election. It would be a disaster for Labour.

[Blue Jam]

That was from one of the BBC Twitter feeds. Reports now suggest a speaker blew up, sounds like it wasn't a terrorist incident but a lot of people could be injured.

[jobotic]

Bloke being interviewed on BBC News suggesting that there were injured people but it may be from the panic and people fighting their way out. The bangs on the clip they have sound a bit like something collapsing to me.

[Mr Brightside]

Please no terrorism until after the election. It would be a disaster for Labour.

So it's all good after June 8th, yeah?

[Mr Brightside]

There's also video from the concert of people screaming and scattering.

I'm not the biggest Ariana fan, but she's not that bad.

[pancreas]

So it's all good after June 8th, yeah?

Hell yes. Gets the blood going. Great for the circulation.

[jobotic]

Is there a chance the track could bend?

Not on your life my Hindu friend.


On The Express site, BTL, someone suggested it was a blown speaker.

"Yeah, an Islamic speaker"

[Ambient Sheep]

Fucking hell, sodding portrait video!!

[finnquark]

GMP have just issued a statement over twitter.

[touchingcloth]

Please no terrorism until after the election. It would be a disaster for Labour.

Unless it was committed by the bourgeoisie. Pls some bourgeoisie terrorism before the election. Pls lord, are brave, brave boys.

[imitationleather]

"A number of fatalities"

Grim.

[Beagle 2]

Ah fuck's sake. I really thought it could have been a storm in a teacup until that police tweet.

[up_the_hampipe]

Oh blimey, I thought that pic was a hoax, but I just saw it on their twitter. I wonder if the fatalities are from the explosion or the rush. Lots of young children at an Ariana gig presumably.

[colacentral]

Please no terrorism until after the election. It would be a disaster for Labour.

I thought the same thing. And I bet I know what else we were both thinking too.

[TheFalconMalteser]

Confirmed deaths

Fucks sake god damn it

[imitationleather]

I also thought it was a hoax and so went to check where it came from.

And I was thinking this was going to be a lot of people flying off the handle over a balloon popping. Oh dear.

[im barry bethel]

Lots of young children at an Ariana gig presumably.

And lots of dads that had to be dragged along

[Mobius]

You can see the bang at about 6 seconds on the video on this page

https://www.reddit.com/live/yz4k8674h837

Edit - work safe and that. Just a shot of the outside of the venue from a distance (nowt more than a 'flash' really)

[neardark]

How is this still not the BBC News main story