MANCHESTER, U.K. – At about 10:30 p.m. local time on May 22, only about a minute after the house lights came on after Ariana Grande’s last song, a deafening explosion shook the foundations of 21,000-capacity Manchester Arena. Chaos and confusion swept through the venue and continued as parents and young attendees tried to find each other in the aftermath.
Authorities said a suicide bomber, using an improvised device, was calculated to inflict as much harm as possible, taking place in a public area near the venue’s box office.
As of May 26, the death toll was 23, including the bomber, with 116 wounded, 75 of them seriously enough to require extended hospital care. Many of the injured and killed were teens; an eight-year-old was reportedly among the dead.
“Broken…from the bottom of my heart, I am so sorry. I don’t have words,” tweeted Grande, who was not injured, shortly after the attack. ISIS and others claimed responsibility the following day.
The suicide bomber, who was born in the U.K. to a family that had been refugees from Libya, was identified in reports as Salman Abedi, 22. Authorities had arrested and detained 12 people suspected of being involved somehow with the attack by May 28.
The Dangerous Woman tour was slated to next move on to London for two shows at the O2 Arena May 25 and 26, followed by a series of shows throughout Europe, Latin America, Asia and Australia through late September.
Although there were early reports that the rest of the tour would be suspended, updated reports noted that only those shows scheduled within two weeks — including the shows in London along with concerts that had been planned for Belgium, Poland, Switzerland and Germany — were definitely canceled.
The rest of Ariana Grande’s Dangerous Woman tour is still scheduled to take place, starting with a June 7 show in Paris. Arianna Grande has also announced plans to perform a benefit concert to raise funds for the victims of the attack and their families at a future date.
