Manchester Arena victims suffered catastrophic injuries, court told
A grim tally of those killed and injured in the Manchester Arena bombing has been heard in court, including two people who had experienced terror attacks once before.
Twenty-two innocent men, women and children died after Salman Abedi, 22, detonated a homemade bomb in a rucksack at 10.31pm on May 22 2017 in the foyer of the Arena.
The Old Bailey heard of horrific shrapnel injuries, which for many would have caused rapid loss of consciousness and death.
The youngest victim, Saffie-Rose Roussos, eight, from Preston, had attended the Ariana Grande concert with her mother Lisa, 48, and sister.
Officers and members of the public, including an off-duty nurse, rushed to her aid, but she was pronounced dead in hospital just over an hour after the attack.
Saffie-Rose had more than 70 external injures, and 17 metallic nuts were found lodged in her body, the court heard.
The oldest victim, 51-year-old school receptionist Jane Tweddle, from Blackpool, died at the scene after a single metal nut hit her in the neck.
Megan Hurley, 15, from Liverpool, was walking across the foyer with her brother Bradley to rejoin their parents after the gig.
Her father found her collapsed just minutes after the explosion and she was pronounced dead despite resuscitation attempts.
A post-mortem examination identified 80 external injuries, including lacerations and burns, and widespread internal injuries.
She had 22 metal nuts in or on her body and the court heard it was “very likely” she died quickly.
Student Chloe Rutherford, 17, and her boyfriend Liam Curry, 19, from South Shields, were both killed in the blast.
Liam sustained 60 penetrating injuries and had 51 metal nuts in his body and clothes, while Chloe suffered more than 100 external injuries and 45 nuts were found.
Support worker John Atkinson, 28, from Manchester, was initially found conscious and talking, but suffered a cardiac arrest at Manchester Royal Infirmary and died early the next day.
A post-mortem examination showed he had sustained very severe leg injuries as a result of penetration by multiple metal nuts.
The court heard that of the 264 people physically injured, 28 suffered life-threatening or life-changing wounds.
A girl aged 10 suffered two broken legs as well as shrapnel wounds to the stomach and chest.
Donna Currie, 51, who was waiting in the foyer for her daughter and her friend, suffered multiple fractures to both legs and shrapnel wounds.
She had previously sustained shrapnel injuries in the 1996 IRA bombing in Manchester and experienced extensive psychological trauma.
A 50-year-old woman, who was waiting with a friend to collect their daughters, sustained life-threatening blast, burn and shrapnel wounds.
The court heard the unnamed survivor had been present in Warrington during the 1993 IRA bombings.
Salman Abedi’s younger brother Hashem, 22, has denied plotting to cause explosions, 22 counts of murder and attempted murder.
