Manchester Arena terror attack: Residents step in to help survivors after Ariana Grande concert

Helped poured in for the people affected by the bomb blast at Manchester Arena as city residents threw open their homes to provide overnight lodging for people who were stranded by the shutdown in some train services because of the incident.Many Manchester residents responded early Tuesday with offers of shelter and details on locations where displaced concert-goers had been taken in, using the hashtag #roomformanchester, reported The Telegraph. A Holiday Inn hotel near Manchester Arena had taken in "50+ children" who were unaccompanied at the gig, the daily added.[caption id="attachment_3470868" align="alignleft" width="380"]

Two women wrapped in thermal blankets stand near the Manchester Arena, where U.S. singer Ariana Grande had been performing, in Manchester. Reuters[/caption]Lauding the people’s effort, city officials said the true spirit of Manchester was surfacing in the hours after the incident, reported AP.Shortly after the blast on Monday night which killed 19 and injured around 50, Manchester’s mayor Andy Burnham took to Twitter and tweeted: "If you are stranded in the area you can... follow #RoomForManchester where hotels and local people of our great city are offering refuge."In addition a number of Manchester taxi services say they are offering free rides to people trapped by the incident, reported AP.The taxi companies posted messages about the free rides on Twitter after the explosion. The service could also be used by people trying to get to local hospitals to look for loved ones.Many of those caught up in the chaos were young fans of US singer Ariana Grande, who had performed at the venue.The 23-year-old singer is a social media phenomenon with 105 million followers on Instagram and 45.6 million followers on Twitter. Her fans, proud "Arianators", were among those who took to Twitter with prayers and tears.Frantic loved ones of young people missing after the explosion took to social media with their photos and pleas for help, reported The Telegraph.The blast is being treated as a terrorist attack and has reportedly left hundreds of attendees, many of them children and teenagers, stranded in the city center as train services ground to a halt.According to TV reports, US intelligence said that they suspected a lone man behind the explosion. In fact, the US Department of Homeland Security has issued a statement saying it is "closely monitoring the situation at Manchester Arena".