'Pls help me...': Frantic parents hunt for missing kids after UK concert blast

At least 19 people were killed in the blast

MANCHESTER:

Desperate parents and friends used social media to search for loved ones on Tuesday after a blast killed at least 19 people at a British concert by US singer Ariana Grande, with images of happy-looking teenagers posted next to pleas for help.

"Everyone pls share this, my little sister Emma was at the Ari concert tonight in #Manchester and she isn't answering her phone, pls help me," said one message posted alongside a picture of a blonde girl with flowers in her hair.

https://twitter.com/AbiNewmanx/status/866815135964418049

Another Twitter user called Erin:P urged people to help him find his sister: "She's wearing a pink sweatshirt and blue jeans. Her name is Whitney."

https://twitter.com/woahms/status/866821782292094976

The 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 US singer, whose fan base is made up largely of teenagers and young girls.

British Prime Minister Theresa May said the incident was being treated as a terrorist attack. Grande later said on Twitter: "broken. from the bottom of my heart, i am so so sorry. I don't have words."

https://twitter.com/ArianaGrande/status/866849021519966208

Paula Robinson, 48, was at the train station next to the arena with her husband when she felt the explosion and saw dozens of teenage girls screaming and running away from the arena. "We ran out," she told Reuters. "It was literally seconds after the explosion. I got the teens to run with me."

Robinson said she took dozens of teenage girls to the nearby Holiday Inn Express hotel and tweeted out her phone number to worried parents telling them to meet her there. She said her phone had not stopped ringing since her tweet. "Parents were frantic running about trying to get to their children," she said. "There were lots of children at Holiday Inn."

If your child went missing in Manchester blast, contact Paula Robinson: https://t.co/DNNMJgzBXp#ArianaGrande #Manchester #ManchesterArena pic.twitter.com/UqE5XvarWA

— Abdul Wasey Naik (@WaseyNaik) May 22, 2017

Social media posts said the Premier Inn and other Manchester hotels had also thrown their doors open as shelters, with reports of up to 60 children at the Holiday Inn.

PLEASE RETWEET

FOR ANYONE SEARCHING FOR A CHILD OR LOVED ONE IN #MANCHESTER

PLEASE CHECK AT THE HOLIDAY INN https://t.co/r1bHoG2EpD

— Shellie Correia (@shelliecorreia) May 23, 2017

Charlotte Campbell was among the parents searching for their children. She posted a picture of her daughter, Olivia, who was also wearing flowers in her hair. "Anyone seen my daughter Olivia Campbell," she wrote. "#manchester"

In other messages, taxi drivers and Manchester residents offered to ferry those who needed to leave the city for free, while the hashtag #RoomForManchester was being used to offer free bedrooms and sofas for anyone stuck in the city.

https://twitter.com/SophieTee2/status/866809478351605761

I have a sofa, floor, blankets and tea, 5 minutes from Arena for anyone in need #RoomForManchester

— Rebecca Topham (@rebeccatophamx) May 23, 2017

"I'm 10 mins from Manchester city centre and can give lifts to or from anywhere. Anyone needs help, just let me know. #roomformanchester," wrote a Twitter user called Danny Hutch.

I'm 10 mins from Manchester city centre and can give lifts to or from anywhere. Anyone needs help, just let me know. #roomformanchester

— danny hutch (@blameitondanny) May 23, 2017

In the hours after the blast, picture montages of smiling faces were being circulated of teens still unaccounted for after the concert. They carried the hashtag: "#PrayForManchester."

Latest statement on incident at Manchester Arena pic.twitter.com/BEpLOan3dY

— Greater Manchester Police (@gmpolice) May 23, 2017

https://twitter.com/fireflyphiI/status/866825058676871168

its a sign of the times, we gotta get away from here #DWTManchester #PrayForMancester pic.twitter.com/3eTAv8qJWF

— .• h •. (@august23_1D) May 23, 2017