Thousands of Mancunians queue outside blood donation centres in a bid to assist terror attack victims

THOUSANDS of Mancunians have been queuing all day to donate blood to the victims of last night's terrorist attack at the Manchester Arena which led to the death of 22 people and left 59 injured according to the latest official figures.

Last night, a large crowd gathered at the arena to see American singer Ariana Grande, when a bomb was suddenly detonated. Witnesses reported hearing huge bangs at the venue shortly after gig finished at around 10.30pm yesterday evening.

Immediately after the blast, the area around the arena was swamped by police and emergency services and approach roads were cordoned off. Minutes later eyewitnesses described seeing people running and screaming from the arena, with many covered in blood.

According to Greater Manchester Police, many children were among the dead. Chief Constable Ian Hopkins said it was believed that the attacker, who died at the scene, was carrying an improvised explosive device.

Ariana Grande has already expressed regret at the killings. In addition, local paper Manchester Evening News, has set up a fundraising page to help support the families of the terror attack victims

Swarms of armed police were joined by a bomb disposal unit as teams from across the region worked to secure the area and help the injured. Queues are also forming at blood donor centres across Manchester now as people want to help following the bombing.

However the advice from Give Blood NHS is that they have all the blood they need for now. medical authorities have however said people should still attend appointments that have been arranged.

It is not yet clear who carried out the attack but it is believed to be the handiwork of Islamic terrorists. Detectives are now looking to establish if the attacker was a lone wolf or part of a wider terror network, particularly as Islamic State has already celebrated the attack.