A suicide bomber has killed 22 people, including children, as an explosion tore through fans leaving a pop concert in Manchester.

Some 59 people were also injured when the blast caused by an improvised explosive device carried by the attacker detonated at the Manchester Arena.

Liverpool City Region metro mayor Steve Rotheram tweeted: “My 2 daughters caught up in the Manchester explosion at the arena. They are thankfully safe, but I fear for others".

He posted later: “All my thoughts go out to those parents waiting to hear of the safety of their children. It’s a parents worse nightmare. So, so sad.”

He added: "On behalf of the people of the Liverpool City Region, I want to express our deepest and heartfelt sympathy for the victims of this appalling and callous attack on innocent young people.”

"There is a deep affinity and solidarity between our two regions, and today we are united in grief and united in our determination not to be intimidated or defeated by the perpetrators of this cowardly atrocity.”

"Local Authority Leaders across the Liverpool City Region have agreed to offer whatever practical support possible to our neighbours in Manchester in the aftermath of this terrible event.”   

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Announcing that the death toll had risen, Greater Manchester Police chief constable Ian Hopkins said: “What I can confirm is that there are children among the deceased.”

He said: “This has been the most horrific incident we have had to face in Greater Manchester and one that we all hoped we would never see.

“Families and many young people were out to enjoy a concert at the Manchester Arena and have lost their lives.

“We continue to do all we can to support them.”

Ariana is due to perform at The O2 on Thursday and Friday and we will advise as soon as we can as to the status of those shows.

“We believe the attacker was carrying an improvised explosive device which he detonated, causing this atrocity.”

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One fan at the concert with his sister described how the apparent explosion hit the venue as they were leaving the building.

Majid Khan, 22, said: “I and my sister, along with a lot of others, were seeing Ariana Grande perform at Manchester Arena, and we were all exiting the venue when a huge bomb-like bang went off that hugely panicked everyone and we were all trying to flee the arena.

“It was one bang and essentially everyone from the other side of the arena where the bang was heard from suddenly came running towards us as they were trying to exit Trinity Way and that was blocked so everyone was just running to any exit they could find as quickly as they could.

“Everyone was in a huge state of panic, calling each other as some had gone to the toilet whilst this had gone off, so it was just extremely disturbing for everyone there.”

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Gary Walker, from Leeds, was with his wife in the foyer waiting to pick up his two daughters who were at the concert.

“I was waiting for the kids to come out. We heard the last song, and quite a few people were flooding out and then suddenly there was a massive flash and then a bang, smoke,” he told BBC Radio 5 Live.

“I felt a bit of pain in my foot and my leg. My wife said, ‘I need to lie down’. I lay her down, she’d got a stomach wound and possibly a broken leg.

“I was about three metres from the actual explosion. I am surprised I got away so lightly.”

Mr Walker said the explosion was by the door in the foyer, next to the merchandise, and that glass and metal nuts were left on the floor. He said he lay down next to his wife for up to an hour, until she was stretchered on a table to an ambulance.

His daughter Abigail, who was still in the auditorium with sister Sophie at the time of the explosion, said: “I had to make sure I had my sister. I grabbed hold of her and pulled hard. Everyone was running and crying. We were just trying to figure where everyone was. It was absolutely terrifying.”

Abigail and Sophie contacted their parents by mobile phone, a moment Mr Walker described as “fantastic news”.

Oliver Jones, 17, was at the concert with his 19-year-old sister. He said: “I was in the toilet and heard a loud bang just after the concert had finished and people had started to leave.

“The bang echoed around the foyer of the arena and people started to run. I seen people running and screaming towards one direction and then many were turning around to run back the other way.

“Security was running out as well as the fans and concert goers. Reports of blood and people injured.”

He added: “In so much shock and panic. You see this on the news all the time and never expect it to happen to you. I just had to run and make sure me and my sister were safe.”

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Home Secretary Amber Rudd, above, has said the Manchester explosion was a “barbaric” attack on some of the “most vulnerable in our society”.

She said the intention of the attack was to “sow fear” but stressed that it would not succeed.

In a statement, she said: “I know that some people will only just be waking up to the news of the horrific attacks in Manchester last night.

“This was a barbaric attack, deliberately targeting some of the most vulnerable in our society – young people and children out at a pop concert.

“My thoughts and prayers go out to the families and the victims who have been affected, and I know the whole country will share that view.

“I’d like to pay tribute to the emergency services who have worked throughout the night professionally and effectively – they have done an excellent job.

“Later on this morning, I will be attending COBRa, chaired by the Prime Minister, to collect more information – to find out more – about this particular attack, and I can’t comment any more on that at the moment.

“The public should remain alert but not alarmed. If they have anything to report, they should approach the police."