Images show how the deadly Manchester blast unfolded

Madeleine Sheehan Perkins
Photo: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

Police in Manchester, England, said at least 19 people were confirmed dead following reports of an explosion at an Ariana Grande concert. Police said dozens more people were reported injured.

Police said the situation was being treated as “a terror incident until police know otherwise.”

People were warned to avoid the arena area, while Manchester’s Victoria transit station was shut down during the police investigation. Many Manchester taxis offered free rides to people stranded in the area.

Here’s how the chaotic and deadly night unfolded in Manchester:

At 10:54 p.m. local time, Greater Manchester Police announced via Twitter that officers were responding to 'reports of an incident at Manchester Arena,' where the singer Ariana Grande was finishing her concert.

Peter Byrne/PA Images via Getty Images

Police responded to reports of an incident at Manchester Arena. Please stay away from the area. More details to follow....

— G M Police (@gmpolice) May 22, 2017

The city of Manchester has a population of about 530,000, and the arena is near the centre.

Google Maps

Source: Manchester City Council

The situation was updated to a 'serious incident' at 11:29 p.m. People were encouraged to avoid the area as ambulances and emergency services rushed to the scene.

Dave Thompson/Getty Images

One woman said she took 50 young girls who couldn't find their parents to the nearby Manchester Holiday Inn to wait safely until parents or guardians could pick them up.

Paul Ellis/AFP/Getty Images

@ArianaGrande If your child went missing in Manchester blast, contact Paula Robinson: https://t.co/DNNMJgzBXp#ArianaGrande #Manchester #ManchesterArena pic.twitter.com/UqE5XvarWA

— Abdul Wasey Naik (@WaseyNaik) May 22, 2017

Police said first responders were 'working tirelessly' and there were 'confirmed fatalities' at the scene at 11:44 p.m. local time.

Dave Thompson/Getty Images
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - A person is wheeled away on a stretcher at Victoria Railway Station close to the Manchester Arena on May 23, 2017 in Manchester, England.

Police announced just past 1 a.m. local time, May 23, that 19 people had been killed following reports of an explosion. First responders tended to the dozens of injured people while ambulances took victims to six hospitals across Greater Manchester.

Dave Thompson/Getty Images
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - Members of the public receive treatment from emergency service staff at Victoria Railway Station close to the Manchester Arena on May 23, 2017 in Manchester, England.

Police cordoned off an area near the box office of Manchester Arena. The explosion reportedly took place in the foyer or lobby of the venue.

Dave Thompson/Getty Images
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - MAY 23: Police cordon off an area close to the Box Office entrance to the Manchester Arena on May 23, 2017 in Manchester, England.

As the night stretched on, police began escorting fans (including many young teenage girls) and their parents to safety.

Dave Thompson/Getty Images
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - MAY 23: Members of the public are escorted from the Manchester Arena on May 23, 2017 in Manchester, England.

Police escort more people from the Manchester Arena.

Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

Facebook activated its safety-check function so people could alert their friends and family that they were safe.

Source: Facebook

Manchester police held a press conference just after 3 a.m. local time to inform reporters they were working with local and national counterterrorism and intelligence forces on the case.

Sky News screenshot via Twitter
Manchester Police press conference just after 3 a.m. local time.

Just after 7 a.m., Manchester police confirmed that 22 people had died, some of them children.

Dave Thompson/Getty Images

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