Tragedy at Grande concert claims 22 lives

 

Above: A woman leaves flowers for the victims of the bombing at the Grande concert. Photo Courtesy: liveforlivemusic.com

A devastating and traumatizing event affected many lives during an Ariana Grande concert on May 22 at approximately 10:30 p.m. The tragedy occurred in Manchester, England, claiming the innocent lives of twenty-two civilians. Many of the victims were children, with the youngest being Saffie Rose Rousso, a little girl who was only eight years old.  A devastating and traumatizing event affected many lives during an Ariana Grande concert on May 22 at approximately 10:30 p.m. The tragedy occurred in Manchester, England, claiming the innocent lives of twenty-two civilians. Many of the victims were children, with the youngest being Saffie Rose Rousso, a little girl who was only eight years old.

Thousands of Manchester citizens attended a vigil at 6 p.m. on Tuesday to remember the victims.  It was a tragedy that a concert, meant to bring pure excitement and joy, resulted in such  shocking and devastating circumstances.

Reports from bystanders at the incident say that there was an extremely loud bang that came from inside Manchester Arena. Twenty-one thousand people were stuck panicking inside the stadium, all doing everything they could to escape as quickly as possible. This then led to a stampede, people literally stomping on one another, injuring, and even killing victims who could not get up. The bomb went off as all the Grande fans were trying to leave the concert. No one knew exactly what had happened when the blast first went off.

Reports live from the scene on that Monday night, told the news that there must have been a bomb or explosion because there was blood everywhere, along with citizens screaming and fleeing the arena as quickly as possible. What was supposed to be a happy occasion for all in attendance turned  into complete and utter chaos.

The 23-year-old pop sensation visited the injured victims in a United Kingdom hospital that week, and hosted a “One Love” concert to honor and remember the victims of the attack.  The concert on June 4 raised well over the expected two million dollars, all of which was donated to those involved in the horrific event.

Police named Salman Abedi to be the suicide bomber, who had lived in Manchester. Abedi was proven to be recently coming back from Liberia. This bombing has been positively identified as a terrorist attack. Not only did this man kill twenty-two people, but he also injured dozens more.

Condolences and support go out to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives in the attack. Mental grief also plays a large role in this attack.  Fans who were in the arena were panicking, not knowing what was fully going on, and trying to get out as fast as possible, but there are only so many exits for twenty-one thousand people.

Social media has been supportive and loving to the city of Manchester and to all those who were affected. Tragedies like these are ones that we can only hope and pray will someday come to an end. But for the time being, we must show our respect, love and care to all those who have been affected by this disaster.