Manchester Arena: 22 dead, 59 injured in fatal blast after Ariana Grande's concert

UPDATE (12:20 p.m. AEST): Ariana Grande has gone on Twitter to say she is "broken" and speechless following Monday night's fatal blast at U.K.'s Manchester Arena. See her tweet below. According to BBC, a lone male attacker, presumed to be a suicide bomber, died in the explosion. Twenty-two people have reportedly died, while 59 others were injured.

UPDATE (11:40 a.m. AEST):Ariana Grande was "okay," according to a rep who spoke to Reuters. The 23-year-old singer has yet to issue a statement via Twitter, where she has 45.6 million followers.

Original story:

A number of people have been confirmed dead, and others are left injured following reports of an explosion at an Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena, authorities revealed. British police have confirmed at least 19 people dead and at least 50 others injured after the suspected terrorist incident.

In a statement, Manchester Transport Police said there were reports of an explosion “within the foyer area of the stadium.” Police asked people to avoid the area. Manchester Victoria Station has shut down all services. A bomb disposal unit has reportedly arrived at the venue.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the singer told ABC News Grande is safe. Bianca Landrau, one of Grande’s support acts, tweeted that they are okay, thanking fans of their concern.

What happened at the Ariana Grande gig

Several reports suggest that the explosion could have been caused by a balloon or a speaker, while others claim a gun had gone off. But a witness named Chris was doubtful that the loud noise came from a balloon popping. He told Today it was way too loud.

Another concert attendee named Lily supported Chris’ statement, saying they heard an explosion that was “extremely loud.” She added there was so much panic and confusion.

A concertgoer narrated the scene on Radio Manchester, saying she heard an explosion that made everyone shove and push each other. Another witness named Karen, who was at the Ariana gig with her husband and children told, BBC it was “just chaos” and that nobody was organising anybody to do anything. “The problem was a lot of children were there without parents. There was no one to calm them down so everybody was just screaming and crying and pushing,” she said.

Concertgoer Harry Johnson said the explosion was heard after the show was finished. He told Today that people were starting to make their way out of the arena when the alleged explosion took place. There was a moment of silence before people started shouting and running.

Erin McDougle from Newcastle reported seeing a lot of smoke. She told The Guardian that in the UK, there were a few ambulances and dozens of police vans outside.

Attendees took to social media to share their experience, saying there was a “massive bang” minutes after Grande finished her set. A Twitter user said he saw “loads of kids and little girls” lying on the floor of a corridor. It is unclear if the incident was caused by terrorists.