Manchester attack: Parents frantically search for children missing after suicide blast

Panicked parents told today of their desperate search to trace missing children caught up in the Manchester terror attack.

Frantic attempts to locate youngsters were taking place following the deadly blast which killed 22 and wounded 59.

Parents and worried friends have been taking to social media, uploading photos and appealing for information, with children as young as five reportedly caught up in the devastation.

Eight-year-old Saffie Rose Roussos appears to be the youngest person confirmed missing from the attack, having gone to the concert yesterday with her older sister Ashley, 24, and mother Lisa.

The adults have been located in separate hospitals and are awaiting surgery, but the youngster is still missing.

Ms Roussos’s boyfriend Craig Brown, 25, from Southport, was today rushing to the hospital to be with his girlfriend, his brother Adam, 23, said.

He told the Standard: “We don’t know where Saffie is. We’re just waiting, hoping for news, anything. It’s just awful.”

One mother, Charlotte Campbell, told how she had not heard from 15-year-old daughter Olivia since 8.30pm yesterday, moments before singer Ariana Grande came to the stage.

Ms Campbell, who lives in Manchester, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “She was with her friend Adam - Adam was found, he’s in hospital but Olivia has not been found yet.”

Ms Campbell said she had been at home “phoning everybody - hospitals, police, all these centres that the children have been put in”.

“Her dad is actually in Manchester looking for her. I’ve got friends out looking for her, I’ve got people I don’t even know out looking for her.

“I’ve got people messaging me saying ‘Look, we’ve got her photo and we’re out looking for her - we’ll get in contact with you if we see her’.

“I’m just hearing nothing - her phone’s dead.”

Thousands of social media users were using the hashtag #ManchesterMissing today to circulate images of missing concert-goers on in a desperate bid to track them down.

Manchester Police set up an emergency number - 0161 856 9400 - for those who are concerned about loved ones, while Facebook activated its safety check feature allowing people close to the arena to confirm whether they are safe or not.

Among those missing were Chloe Rutherford, 17, and Liam Curry, 19, from South Shields.

Their friend Anna Ridley told ITV: “I want to hear my best friend’s voice again and make sure her and her boyfriend are okay.

“I love them both and wouldn’t know what to do without them. I’ve been up all night messaging, sharing, phoning everybody and anybody to find them. I pray and plead for everyone to get sharing to help find these two amazing people.”

Pop band Little Mix also issued an appeal for the young pair.

Criminology and Psychology student Courtney Boyle was at the concert last night with her stepfather Philip Tron. They have both been reported missing by family and friends, as has PR manager Martyn Hett.

In remarkable displays of solidarity, the Premier Inn and other Manchester hotels opened their doors open as shelters, with scores of people seeking refuge, including Susan Walton and her daughter Katie.

A woman named Paula Robinson said she was looking after many of the children at the Holiday Inn and urged worried parents to get in contact.

Taxi drivers also offered to ferry people for free from the city, while the hashtag #RoomForManchester was being used to offer free bedrooms and sofas for anyone stuck.

The suicide blast rocked the foyer of the Manchester Arena as thousands of young fans and parents streamed out of the venue after the show by the 23-year-old popstar.

Lisa Brodie, 50, and daughter Stephanie, 14, from Newcastle, told today how they missed the blast “by seconds”.

Mrs Brodie said: “As we walked near to the exit there was just this loud bang. At first I thought it was a gun shot. I just grabbed my daughter and we turned and everyone was just running and screaming and shouting, it was mania. It was sheer carnage.

“I immediately thought there was a Paris-style attack and that it was a gun shot with a gunman on the loose, so we just ran.

“If we had been a minute earlier walking out of that exit, we’d probably be dead.”

She added: “There were five and six-year-olds who are probably just starting to watch the Disney show that my a daughter watched.

"A lot of them were all dressed up with kitten or bunny ears on like the ones Ariana sometimes wears. A lot of them were with parents, you could see it was families.

“It’s just horrific.”

Another mother, named only as Anne-Marie, said that if the singer had not over-run then the death told could have been even worse.

The woman, who was at the concert with her 13-year-old daughter, said it was “utter chaos” outside the venue, with parents trying to find their children and people fearing that a gunman was on the loose or a second bomb would explode.

She said: “The security were in a state of shock. People were dropping to the floor because they didn’t know if it was a gunman.”

Dan Skelton, 19, said his 15-year-old cousin had described “walking over dead bodies” after being caught up in the blast as she left the arena with two friends.

The student said: “Her shoulder was a bit burnt but she managed to get home, she had to step over dead bodies to get out of the arena and there was blood and body parts everywhere.”

His cousin added: “All you saw was a huge flash and big ray of heat, it was that powerful it knocked me back.

“One of my friends was covered in ash and had whiplash. The stench of it was terrible. I had a huge panic attack and was left on the streets surrounded by people covered in blood and bleeding.”

Coral Long was at the concert with her 10-year-old daughter.

She told CNN: “We were getting ready to leave and heard this almighty bang. At that point everyone just went crazy, running and screaming, trying to get out, jumping over seats...How we weren’t crushed to death was a miracle - people were just pushing and pushing and pushing.”

She said her daughter was in “total shock”.

“She is just terrified that whoever did this would come to the house or go to her school. She is just devastated. For her, at 10 years old to witness something like that is just horrific.”

Concert-goer Abby Mullen said the explosion went off “centimetres in front of me”.

In a Facebook post that included a picture of a woman’s blood-soaked handbag, she said: “As we were leaving a bomb or explosion went off centimetres in front of me. People’s skin and blood were everywhere.

“That sound. The blood and those who were running around clueless with body parts and bits of skin missing will not be leaving my mind any time soon or the minds of those involved.”