LONDON, May 23 (Xinhua) -- At least 19 people had been confirmed killed and 59 injured in a possible terrorist attack at a pop concert in the Northern England city of Manchester, police confirmed early Tuesday.
The victims were leaving the 21,000 capacity Manchester Arena at the end of a concert by the American pop star Ariana Grande.
Unconfirmed reports claimed a bomb was detonated by a suicide bomber in the foyer of the arena as crowds, largely made up of teenagers and children, were making their way to the exits.
Eye witnesses spoke of hearing an explosion which sparked panic, as adults and children, many in tears or screaming ran for their lives from the danger. One described it as a stampede, with people being trampled on.
Staff from China's Consulate General in Manchester, who rushed to the scene after the explosion, told Xinhua over phone that the area had been cordoned off with a heavy presence of police vehicles in sight.
One man told local media how he had just been 15 meters from the explosion and was thrown through a door by the force of the blast. When he got back onto his feet and turned around he saw bodies on the floor, many people either dead or unconscious. He said there were between 20 to 30 bodies.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) declared a major incident and evacuated a wide area, as armed police stood by.
In an official statement at 1:19 local time (0019 GMT) early Tuesday, GMP said: "Just before 10:35 p.m. (2135 GMT) on Monday, May 22 police were called to reports of an explosion at Manchester Arena. So far 19 people have been confirmed dead with around 50 others injured."
At least 59 people are confirmed to have been injured in the explosion, Sky News reported on Tuesday.
The statement by the police said the case is currently being treated as "a terrorist incident."
"This is currently being treated as a terrorist incident until police know otherwise," said the police.
Many parents who had been waiting to collect their children close to the exits of the arena were given shelter in nearby hotels as they desperately awaited news.
Army bomb disposal units raced to the area to examine the scene and search for other devices. A controlled explosion was carried out on a second suspect device close by in a garden close to the city's cathedral.
Police said the controlled explosion was carried out near the Manchester Arena venue.
"There will be a controlled explosion in Cathedral Gardens shortly if you hearing anything don't be concerned," said a police Twitter, referring to a park near the concert venue.
Victoria Railway Station, just meters from the stadium, had been preparing for thousands of people making their way home. Instead the station was evacuated and trains halted, leaving thousands of people stranded.
Regional ambulance services raced to the scene to take casualties, many of them seriously injured, to hospitals.
A spokesman for the pop star said Ariana Grande was unhurt in the attack.
Senior security officials gathered in London to discuss the attack.
Residents in Manchester offered accommodation to anybody stranded in the city.
British Prime Minister Theresa May said Tuesday that her thoughts are with the victims and families of those affected in "what is being treated by the police as an appalling terrorist attack".
May said that the government is working to establish the full details of the explosion.
The Press Association quoted a Conservative source as saying that the prime minister's general election campaign is being suspended.
A large area of Manchester city center, just a few hundred meters from the arena, was destroyed in 1996 by a bomb planted by the Irish Republican Army, in which there was widespread damage to property, but no serious injuries.
