How to help in the aftermath of the Manchester bombing

From Digital Spy

In the aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing, offers from those wanting to support the victims and their families have flooded social media.

On Monday night, many taxi drivers in the city worked for free, taking home those left stranded by the explosion, and people living in the area offered up their spare rooms to give the concertgoers a safe place to stay.

Here are a few of the ways you can show your solidarity with those affected and help with the ongoing police investigation.

Help families by sharing verified images of missing people

Parents and relatives are using hashtags #MissingInManchester and #ManchesterMissing in a bid to find out information on the dozens of people who have not been located since the explosion. To help broaden the search, worried family members are urging others to retweet photos of those missing, many of whom are believed to be young.

However, police have warned that information should only be shared if it's from a trusted source, as there are reports of some people sharing fake images of supposedly missing friends.

Share relevant information with Greater Manchester Police

The police have also asked anyone with images or footage from the concert that could be of assistance to upload them to Ukpoliceimageappeal.co.uk or Ukpoliceimageappeal.com.

If you have any information about a missing person or are worried about family or friends who may have been involved, call the emergency police helpline on 0800 096 0095.

Guidance issued by the Home Office asks people to report anything suspicious to the anti-terrorist hotline on 0800 789 321 or online. In an emergency, call 999.

But avoid spreading misinformation

Following the attack, Greater Manchester Police have requested that people avoid sharing unconfirmed details of the attacker that may appear online. In a statement, Chief Constable Ian Hopkins said: "The attacker, I can confirm, died at the arena. We believe the attacker was carrying an improvised explosive device which he detonated causing this atrocity.

"We would ask people not to speculate on his details or to share names. There is a complex and wide-ranging investigation under way. Our priority is to work with the National Counter Terrorist Policing Network and UK intelligence services to establish more details about the individual who carried out this attack."

Give blood

Hospitals across Greater Manchester have seen mass casualties, with many suffering shrapnel wounds in the aftermath of the suicide bombing, say reports. Although there is no shortage of blood at the moment, director of blood donation at NHS Blood and Transplant Mike Stredder encouraged new donors to register, particularly those with the blood group O negative.

"Our thoughts are with the people affected by this tragic incident," Stredder said in a statement. "We do have all the blood required for hospital patients at the present time, however we are always keen to encourage new donors to register and existing donors to book an appointment which can be done at Blood.co.uk or call 0300 123 23 23 to find your nearest session."

The NHS states that those wanting to donate blood must be fit and healthy, weigh over 7 stone 12lb or 50kg, and aged between 17 and 66 (or 70 if you have given blood before). Over 70s must have given blood in the last two years.

Donate money (but check the collection is authorised before you do)

To support the families of those killed and injured in the attack, Manchester Evening News has set up a JustGiving page, which broke its £50,000 target just hours after it went live on Tuesday morning. However, do double-check that the charity collection is authorised before donating money to any crowdfunding sites. Sadly, scammers have been known to trick kindhearted donors during times like these.

Pay tribute in a book of condolence

If you want to share your sympathy and thoughts for those affected by the attack, Manchester City Council has set up an online book of condolence. You can write your message here.

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