Politics: Police report deaths following explosion at Ariana Grande concert in Manchester

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 explosions, which occurred at 10.30 p.m. local time (BST), at an Ariana Grande concert. Sky News is reporting that police are treating as a terrorist incident, citing sources in the North West Counter Terrorism Unit.

Police warned residents to avoid the area surrounding the arena, where 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. British Transport Police said 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. They added:

Kim Jackson, a witness at the scene, described the incident to Business Insider: "We had floor seats and were just heading to exit. There was a massive bang from towards the back of the arena from the corridor area.

"Everyone went silent and then huge crowds of people came running from the back and everyone was screaming and crying. We just wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible so we just headed straight for the exit. When we got up to the corridor there was smoke and we could smell burning. We just ran outside and got as far away as we could."

Speaking to Manchester Evening New, concert goer Sibion Joyce added: "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."

Trains have been cancelled to and from Manchester Victoria, according to National Rail, while the station approach has reportedly been clsoed by police.

Video captures the moment of the explosion:

The blast caused pandemonium inside the Manchester Arena and people ran for safety.

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

There were also reports of a bomb disposal unit heading into the arena.

People emerged from the arena with injuries.

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