Manchester Arena bombings: Remembering the 22 victims

Mothers, daughters, fathers and sons – 22 people died in the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing.

What was supposed to be a dream night for thousands of Ariana Grande fans on May 22 quickly turned into a nightmare, when Salman Ramadan Abedi detonated a suicide bomb.

An inquiry on Thursday found that one of the victims could have survived if it wasn’t for inadequacies in the emergency response.

Chief constable for Greater Manchester Police Stephen Watson said the communication between emergency services was “poor” and “apologised unreservedly” for their response to the suicide bombing.

Here are the stories of all 22 victims of the tragedy and their final, fatal movements.

Eilidh MacLeod

Eilidh, 14, had travelled to Manchester from her home on the Isle of Barra in the Outer Hebrides with her mother and a friend.

The “much-loved” middle sister of three was “very family orientated” and loved music which was a big part of her life, having enjoyed success in the World Bagpipe Playing Championships in 2016.

Eilidh Macleod, 14, from the Isle of Barra. STV News

Those who know her said they are sure she would have succeeded at whatever she wanted to do in life.

Miss MacLeod was four metres from the explosion and a post-mortem examination showed it was very likely she would have died quickly from multiple injuries, said to be unsurvivable.

Her body was covered in clothing and she was pronounced dead at the scene.

Alison Howe and Lisa Lees

Alison, 44, and Lisa, 43, from Oldham, took their daughters to the concert and later returned to pick them up.

Nurse and “much-loved” wife and mother Mrs Howe was described as a gifted musician, who was due to celebrate her 45th birthday two days later and then go on holiday to New York with her husband, Stephen.

Loved ones of beauty therapist Mrs Lees said they remembered the married mother-of-two for her “wide smile and infectious laugh”.

Both were standing four metres away from the blast site and were pronounced dead at the scene with concert T-shirts placed over their bodies.

Post-mortem examinations showed Mrs Lees died from multiple injuries and Mrs Howe from a head injury – with both likely to have been rendered unconscious immediately.

Their injuries were said to be unsurvivable.

Saffie-Rose Roussos

The youngest victim, eight-year-old Saffie-Rose Roussos was from Preston, Lancashire.

She had gone to see her favourite pop star, Ariana Grande, perform on the most exciting night of her young life.

The concert tickets were a Christmas present from her parents.

With her mother Lisa Roussos and sister Ashlee Bromwich, from Preston, Lancashire, they were in the foyer at the time of the explosion.

Eight-year-old Saffie-Rose Roussos was from Preston, Lancashire. Arena Inquiry

Saffie was four metres from the explosion and suffered more than 100 separate injuries.

An off-duty nurse and two police officers were forced to carry her out of the City Room on a bloodied advertising board.

A policeman flagged down an ambulance outside, Saffie arriving at Manchester Children’s Hospital at 11.25pm.

Saffie-Rose went into cardiac arrest shortly after she was taken into the hospital’s resuscitation room, and was pronounced dead 15 minutes after arrival.

Medical experts disagreed on her chances of survival given better care.

Experts commissioned by her family said a “window of opportunity” was missed to treat her at the scene.

Other experts said whatever medical interventions had been made her chances of survival were, “Nil.”

Angelika Klis and Marcin Klis

Customer services assistant Angelika, 39, and taxi driver Marcin, 42, from York, were collecting their daughters Alexandra and Patrycia, aged 20 and 14, in the foyer.

The couple, who met and fell in love in their native Poland, were said by their daughters to have “shared a deep bond”, were “very caring” and would plan a family day out every few weeks.

They stood with their arms around each other as they waited for the concert to finish.

At the time of the explosion they were four metres away.

Neither showed any signs of life and their bodies were covered with T-shirts and posters before a paramedic attached a label to them, like other victims, to identify they were deceased.

Mr Klis died of chest injuries and his partner from multiple injuries, which in both cases were said to be unsurvivable.

John Atkinson

Mr Atkinson, 28, from Manchester, attended the concert with the sister of his long-term partner.

His “caring nature” led him to his job as a healthcare assistant where he helped young adults with autism and Asperger’s Syndrome.

John Atkinson, 28, from Manchester, attended the concert with the sister of his long-term partner. Arena Inquiry

Just six metres away when the bomb was detonated, he managed to drag himself a short distance and was then tended to by a member of the public, Ronald Blake, who used a belt as a tourniquet.

Mr Atkinson was not triaged or treated by any NWAS staff during the 47 minutes he was in the City Room.

He had been conscious and talking but went into cardiac arrest at 11.47pm and was taken by ambulance to Manchester Royal Infirmary at midnight.

A full trauma team of clinicians were waiting when he arrived six minutes later but Mr Atkinson was pronounced dead at 12.24am on May 23.

The post-mortem examination revealed the cause of death was from severe leg injuries, as well as abdominal injuries.

The inquiry heard his injuries, though severe, may have been survivable if he had reached hospital before his heart stopped.

Courtney Boyle

Leeds Beckett University student Courtney Boyle, 19, from Gateshead, had travelled to Manchester with family members as her younger sister attended the concert.

Described by her family as “confident, strong-minded, loving and caring”, she had previously submitted her first year psychology and criminology examination papers and was subsequently awarded a honorary degree in July 2017.

Just four metres away from the killer when the blast was detonated, the inquiry heard death would have happened quickly and her multiple injuries were said to be unsurvivable.

Elaine McIver

Off-duty police officer Elaine McIver, 43, from Cheshire, was waiting in the foyer with her partner to collect his young daughter and her friend.

The detective constable “loved” being in the police and was getting ready to move house with her partner at the time.

She was standing five metres from the seat of the explosion and died from unsurvivable chest injuries.

Liam Curry and Chloe Rutherford

Students Liam, 19, and Chloe, 17, from South Shields, had been in a relationship since 2014 and travelled to the concert together.

Liam Curry, 19, and Chloe Rutherford, 17, from South Shields. Arena Inquiry

Ms Rutherford was a talented songwriter and performer who had recently completed a B-tec in music performance studies, while Mr Curry was a talented sportsman and keen cricketer who was studying for a sports degree at Northumbria University and spoke about joining the police.

Both were stood four metres from the bomber as they walked towards the City Room exit and were pronounced dead at the scene, with T-shirts placed over them.

They were said to have died from multiple injuries which were deemed unsurvivable.

Georgina Callander

Georgina Callander, 18, from Preston, had travelled to the concert with a friend while her mother waited nearby.

She was said to be “very caring” and “loved life” having just passed her driving test and earned a place at university to study paediatrics.

Miss Callander was four metres from the bombing and was later seen by heart paramedics who designated her as a priority casualty.

She was taken with her mother by ambulance but by the time they reached hospital she went into cardiac arrest and was later pronounced dead.

Her fatal head injury was said to be unsurvivable and she would have been rendered unconscious immediately.

Jane Tweddle

School receptionist Jane, 51, from Blackpool, had gone to Manchester with a friend whose daughter was attending the concert.

The mother-of-three’s loved ones said she “treated everyone with kindness, decency and respect” and “loved to make people laugh”.

She was 13 metres from the blast site and was hit by a single projectile.

Witnesses described seeing signs of life and attempts were made by police officers to resuscitate her, but to no avail.

Her fatal neck injury was said to be unsurvivable.

Mary ‘Nell’ Jones

Nell, 14, from Cheshire, was the only daughter to parents Jane and Ernie and little sister to brothers Sam, Joe and William – and known to everyone as Nell.

She excelled academically, was a gifted mathematician and shone on the stage.

She had gone to the concert with a friend who bought her the ticket as a birthday present, the girls singing along to an Grande CD as they were driven from Cheshire to Manchester by her friend’s father.

The pair were dancing and singing throughout the show and left the arena into the City Room at 10.30pm.

The inquiry heard as they left, Nell told her friend she loved her, and her friend said the same back.

At the time of the explosion she was approximately two metres from Abedi.

At 10.43pm, a Travel Safe officer tried to rouse her but she was unresponsive.

Ten minutes later no pulse could be found and a pink jumper was used to cover her.

At 11.41pm, a paramedic identified Nell as deceased.

A post-mortem examination confirmed she died of multiple injuries and experts concluded her injuries could not be survived.

Kelly Brewster

Insurance claims assessor Kelly, 32, from Sheffield, had gone to the concert with her sister and another younger relative.

Her family were said to have “meant the world” to the devoted aunt who was planning to have a baby and buy a new house with her partner Ian Winslow, and had earlier in the evening texted him to say she loved him.

She entered the City Room only seven seconds before the bomb detonated.

Ms Brewster was given first aid and CPR and was said to have appeared to have shown intermittent signs of life, but then became unresponsive and was pronounced dead at the scene with T-shirts used to cover her body.

A post-mortem examination found she died from head and abdominal injuries which would have rapidly rendered her unconscious.

Her injuries were also said to be unsurvivable.

Martyn Hett

Martyn, 29, a social media manager from Stockport, had attended the concert with friends.

He was “tremendous fun” and loved being “centre stage”‘, and was singing and dancing from the first song of the show.

He entered the City Room at 10.28pm and was about four metres from Abedi at the time of the explosion.

Afterwards he did not respond and he was covered with a blanket at 11.34pm.

A post-mortem examination concluded he died of multiple injuries which were not survivable.

He had appeared on TV shows Come Dine With Me and Tattoo Fixers, and died just days before he was to set off on a two-month trip to the US.

Megan Hurley

Megan, 15, from Liverpool, went to the concert with her older brother Bradley, 20.

Having a beautiful and infectious smile, her family said, they entered the foyer at 10.30pm and Megan was stood just three metres from the bomb.

Megan’s father found his children at 10.55pm and with the help of first aiders and a police sergeant, chest compressions were begun but ceased at 11.06pm as it was clear Megan, a pupil at Halewood Academy, was not breathing.

Injuries to her brain would have rendered her immediately unconscious and it is likely she died very quickly from unsurvivable injuries.

Michelle Kiss

Michelle, 45, lived in Whalley, Lancashire. A company secretary, she was waiting with a friend in the foyer to collect their daughters who had gone to the concert together.

The mother-of-three was standing on the steps leading to a raised area at the time of the detonation, around 20 metres from Salman Abedi.

A member of the public stayed with the stricken victim and attempted to stem the flow of blood but believed she had died.

She was covered with a black sheet at 10.48pm, her death caused by unsurvivable head injuries.

Olivia Campbell-Hardy

Olivia, 15, lived in Bury, Greater Manchester, attended the concert with a friend, the tickets being a Christmas present.

She loved singing and music and as they left the concert through the foyer her friend asked what her favourite song had been.

Stood five metres from Abedi, the bomb exploded before she could answer.

At 10.45pm, a police officer and first aider attended to her but she showed no signs of life and a poster was used to cover her body.

A post-mortem examination confirmed she died of multiple injuries which were not survivable.

Philip Tron

Philip, a 32-year-old plumber from Gateshead, had gone to Manchester with Deborah Boyle and her daughter Courtney Boyle, 19, to collect a family member from the concert.

Mr Tron was four metres from the blast.

He did not receive any medical care or intervention and was covered with a blanket at 10.45pm.

He died from multiple injuries which were unsurvivable.

Sorrell Leczkowski

Sorrell, 14, from Leeds, was waiting in the foyer with her mother Samantha Leczkowski and grandmother Pauline Healey.

Clever, talented and creative, the Allerton High School student wanted to become an architect.

Sorrell was stood six metres from Abedi and was given CPR and a defibrillator was used, but she showed no signs of life.

At 11.13pm she was covered with a jacket. She suffered a neck injury and would have died shortly after the explosion from non-survivable injuries, experts said.