Two north-east women who were caught up in last night’s suicide blast in Manchester have described the chaotic aftermath.
At least 22 people, including children, have been killed and a further 59 are reported injured following the attack at the Manchester Evening News arena last night.
Kerry Stewart and Terri Robertson from Aberdeen were at the concert and were making their way to the exit when the blast happened.
They told the BBC: “We came out of the toilet, about to go to the exit, and there were hundreds of people started running towards us.
“When we turned round there were people running from the other direction towards us and we got pushed into a room with heaps of kegs of beer. Everyone was fighting each other to try and get out an exit but it was a dead end.
“It wasn’t a loud noise that startled us. It was just like a noise that you would have thought was part of the concert, until everybody started running.
“And then someone shouted ‘there’s the fire exit, run for safety’ and we just started running.”
In a statement, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon paid tribute to those caught up in the blast.
She said: “My thoughts are with the victims, their families and all those who have been affected by this barbaric attack in Manchester.
“The Scottish Government is working with Police Scotland and the UK Government to ensure that we have a full understanding of the developing situation.
“I will convene a meeting of the Scottish Government’s Resilience Committee this morning to receive an update and to consider any implications for Scotland.”
