Politics: Police report deaths following explosion at Ariana Grande concert

Officials have not confirmed the cause of the noises, but have warned residents to avoid the area surrounding the arena.

LONDON — Police are reporting "a number of confirmed fatalities" and injuries at Manchester Arena on Monday following reports of loud explosion coming from within the building.

Officials have not confirmed the cause of the noises — which occurred at 10.30 p.m. local time (BST) — but have warned residents to avoid the area surrounding the arena, where Ariana Grande had just finished a concert. The Amercian singer is safe, according to her spokesperson.

The incident caused concertgoers to scramble out of the building, and videos posted on social media showed police cars and ambulances rushing to the scene. Reports suggest the explosion occurred in the "foyer area" of the Manchester Arena, which has a capacity of 21,000.

"Please AVOID the area as first responders work tirelessly at the scene," the Greater Manchester Police wrote on Twitter.

Eyewitness Sibion Joyce told Manchester Evening News: "The concert had ended and she had played her last encore. She went off and the lights came on. Everyone got up to leave. As we did we just heard a loud bang. People were running and people were really scared."

Video captures the moment of the explosion:

Ambulances rushed to scene and witnesses on the ground have reported an armed police presence.

This story is developing.

Officials have not confirmed the cause of the noises, but have warned residents to avoid the area surrounding the arena. Read Full Story