UPDATE MAY 23:

For the young crowd of music fans, the Ariana Grande concert was supposed to be a night of high-energy candy pop and fun on a school night. The scene quickly turned into sheer terror when a bomb went off at the end, sending terrified parents into a desperate search for their loved ones.

A suicide bomber detonated his explosives as the American singer wrapped up her show Monday night in Manchester for thousands of her so-called Arianators, the name adopted by her fans, many of them teenagers and 害羞草研究所榯weens.

Police said children were among the 22 people killed. About 60 others were wounded.

Witness spoke of metal nuts and bolts strewn across the blast site, suggesting the attacker may have packed his explosive device with shrapnel, a gruesome tactic to maximize casualties that was also used by suicide bombers in the Paris attacks that killed 130 people in 2015 and repeatedly in the Middle East and elsewhere.

Fans, many clutching pink plastic balloons, scrambled in panic for exits of the 21,000-capacity Manchester Arena. Some half-climbed, half-tumbled over barriers in terror. Parents, who were waiting outside to pick up their children at the end of the show, waded into the fleeing crowds desperately hunting for loved ones.

Those with no news from those inside amid the mayhem took to social media, appealing for help. The hashtag #MissingInManchester became a cry for assistance on Twitter, as family and friends hunted for loved ones.

害羞草研究所淚害羞草研究所檝e called the hospitals. I害羞草研究所檝e called all the places, the hotels where people said that children have been taken and I害羞草研究所檝e called the police,害羞草研究所� tearful mother Charlotte Campbell told ITV television害羞草研究所檚 Good Morning Britain breakfast show, as she waited at home, hoping that her 15-year-old daughter Olivia would walk through the door or call.

Olivia attended the show with a school friend who was found and being treated in a hospital.

害羞草研究所淪he害羞草研究所檚 not turned up,害羞草研究所� the mother said. 害羞草研究所淲e can害羞草研究所檛 get through to her.害羞草研究所�

In targeting Manchester, the attacker also struck at one of Britain害羞草研究所檚 cultural hearts. The once gritty industrial city, with London and Liverpool, has been one of the main cultural influences on modern Britain, with its iconic Manchester United soccer team, its cross-city rival Manchester City and chart-toppers Oasis, The Smiths and other globally famous bands. Oasis singer Liam Gallagher tweeted that he is 害羞草研究所渋n total shock and absolutely devastated.害羞草研究所�

Former Manchester United soccer star David Beckham posted on Facebook: 害羞草研究所淎s a father & a human what has happened truly saddens me. My thoughts are with all of those that have been affected by this tragedy.害羞草研究所�

Hayley Lunt took her 10-year-old daughter Abigail to the show. It was her first concert. The blast, 害羞草研究所渨hat sounded like gunshots: 害羞草研究所榖ang, bang,害羞草研究所櫤π卟菅芯克鶟 came just as Grande left the stage: 害羞草研究所淚t was almost like they waited for her to go,害羞草研究所� the mother said.

害羞草研究所淭hen we just heard lots of people screaming, and we just ran,害羞草研究所� she said. 害羞草研究所淲hat should have been a superb evening is now just horrible.害羞草研究所�

Grande was physically unhurt, but described herself as 害羞草研究所渂roken.害羞草研究所�

害羞草研究所淔rom the bottom of my heart, I am so, so sorry. I don害羞草研究所檛 have words,害羞草研究所� she said on Twitter.

Concert-goer Bethany Keeling said: 害羞草研究所淭here was debris everywhere.害羞草研究所�

害羞草研究所淓veryone ran back up the stairs and we eventually got out and they told us to run. We ran out of the arena and there were bodies on the floor,害羞草研究所� said the 21-year-old from Keighley in northern England. 害羞草研究所淚t was terrifying.害羞草研究所�

Shaun Hunter was with his daughters, Eva, 10, and Ruby, 12, who were wearing kitten ears like the star of the show, when the house lights went on. He called the rush of concert-goers after the explosion 害羞草研究所渁 stampede.害羞草研究所�

害羞草研究所淚 saw one bloke carrying his daughter. She was bleeding,害羞草研究所� Hunter told The Times of London.

Andy Holey, who went to the arena to pick up his family, said the blast threw him around 30 feet (nine meters) through a set of doors.

害羞草研究所淲hen I got up and looked around there was about 30 people scattered everywhere, some of them looked dead, they might have been unconscious but there was a lot of fatalities,害羞草研究所� he said.

Elena Semino and her husband were waiting by the arena ticket office for her daughter when the explosion went off.

害羞草研究所淢y husband and I were standing against the wall, luckily, and all of a sudden there was this thing,害羞草研究所� she told The Guardian. 害羞草研究所淚 can害羞草研究所檛 even describe it. There was this heat on my neck and when I looked up there were bodies everywhere.害羞草研究所�

Despite wounds to her neck and a leg, Semino dashed into the auditorium in search of her daughter while her husband, who had only a minor injury, stayed behind to help an injured woman. She found her daughter Natalie, 17, and her friends safe.

EXPLOSION AT MANCHESTER ARENA AND EVERYONE RAN OUT SO SCARY馃槶

害羞草研究所� 鈾♀櫋 (@hannawwh)

害羞草研究所�-

ORIGINAL:

Several people have died following reports of an explosion Monday night at an Ariana Grande concert in northern England, police said. A representative said the singer was not injured.

There were no immediate details of what happened during the concert by the American singer, but police advised the public to avoid the area around the Manchester Arena.

Joseph Carozza, a representative from Grande害羞草研究所檚 US record label, said the singer is OK and they are investigating what happened.

Video from inside the arena showed concertgoers screaming as they made their way out amid a sea of pink balloons.

The Dangerous Woman Tour is the third concert tour by Grande to support her third studio album, Dangerous Woman. The tour began on February 3, 2017, in Phoenix, Arizona at the Talking Stick Resort Arena.

From Manchester the tour is to move through Europe, including Belgium, Poland, Germany, Switzerland and France, through the summer with stops in Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Costa Rica, Mexico and on to Japan, Thailand, the Philippines, New Zealand, Australia and more.

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AP Music Writer Mesfin Fekadu contributed to this story from New York.

The Associated Press