Pakistani-origin man offered victims free rides after Manchester tragedy

Sam Arshad, owner of a taxi firm in Manchester offered free rides to anyone stranded due to the attack in the Manchester Arena.

"Anyone who's stranded and needs to get home call us on 0161-228-7878 and we will get you home for free," the Pakistani-origin man wrote on his company's Facebook page as the tragedy unfolded in in the city.

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"The audience was a very young audience, and there were a lot of people there without their parents," he told the BBC.



As he drove past Manchester Arena, he "saw children screaming and running," he told CNN. "It was horrifying to see young children running, just to imagine what they were going through."

"Whoever was stranded in the city center and didn't have the means to get home, we would transport for free -- child or adult. "I could understand (parents) pain, so we took it upon ourselves to take the children to safety, and thanks to all our drivers they did a great job," he added.

Children were among 22 people killed in a suicide bombing at a pop concert in Manchester, the country’s deadliest terror attack in 12 years.



Residents also tweeted with the hashtag #RoomforManchester to offer a place to stay for those who were stranded. There were reports of many taxi drivers offering free rides to all those who needed one.

https://twitter.com/JoshhWoods/status/866803657790160897

https://twitter.com/DawnLouisePrice/status/866954301926715393

https://twitter.com/SinghLions/status/866930974369632256

https://twitter.com/marktitman/status/866916922402775040