At least 19 people were killed and about 50 others were injured in a suspected suicide bombing Monday night after an Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena in England, authorities said.
Police said the explosion took place outside the arena, which is near the Manchester Victoria transit station, as the concert ended at about 10:35 p.m. local time (5:35 p.m. ET), catching people as they exited.
Law enforcement sources in both Britain and the United States had previously told NBC News that at least 20 people were killed and that possibly “hundreds” of others were injured, but they stressed at the time that the information was preliminary and subject to change.
U.S. officials said initial reports from the scene indicated that a number of the casualties might have been caused by a stampede of concert-goers.
A representative of Ariana Grande said the singer, who has millions of young fans around the world, was not hurt. Likewise, Bianca Landrau, the Boston hiphop star known as Bia, who also performed, tweeted: “Guys we are okay!!!”
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source: ANDREW BLANKSTEIN, ROBERT WINDREM, ALEX JOHNSON and TOM WINTER
NBC News