A mum has told how she was struck by shrapnel when she was feet away from where a suicide bomb went off at Manchester Arena killing 22 people.

Jayne Drew, 52, of Waterloo , said she saw ‘bodies everywhere’ when there was an ‘almighty bang’ and she was hit with debris from the blast.

Emergency services at the scene of the explosion at the Manchester Arena and Jayne Drew (inset) who was there
Emergency services at the scene of the explosion at the Manchester Arena and Jayne Drew (inset) who was there

Jayne told how she was standing in the arena foyer waiting for her 16-year-old daughter Catherine and her daughter’s friend to come out of the Ariana Grande concert.

The mum is now traumatised by what she witnessed and feels sickened to know 22 people died and more than 50 others were injured in the atrocity.

Jayne said: “There were bodies everywhere. It was instant.

“I’m still very shaken. I’m in total disbelief. I was feet away from where the bomb went off.

“I was actually standing closer to the arena doors, where we now know the bomb exploded, but I moved back as I thought I’d see my daughter better standing further back.

“I’m in utter disbelief at what happened.”

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Jayne said she arrived at the Arena to travel back to Huddersfield with her daughter and was in the foyer area when crowds started to come out.

But when the music started up again, possibly for an encore, it was when that song finished the bomb went off.

“There was an almighty bang. I knew I’d been hit with something,” said Jayne.

“My instant reaction was ‘what the hell was that?’ My ears were ringing like crazy.

“There was smoke, glass, blood and dead bodies. The injuries I saw were horrendous. I still can’t believe what I saw.”

Unbeknown to Jayne, who suffered just a minor bruise to her hip, a suicide bomber had detonated an explosive device.

But she said the initial response from emergency services was very quick.

“Nobody knew what to do. The transport police came up from Victoria station and were there first and people started helping the injured.

“I started to panic as my daughter was still in the arena but they’d opened the emergency exits and crowds were going out into the car park.

“I tried phoning her but I was struggling to hear as my ears were ringing.

“She didn’t answer so I rang her dad and told him what I thought had happened.”

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Incredibly, amid thousands of people, Jayne spotted her daughter almost instantly and they fled to safety.

She added: “When I found them they didn’t really know what had happened. They heard a ‘loud bang’ but fortunately didn’t see any bodies.

“It was still traumatic for them, but it could have been so much worse for us.

“There were riot police and ambulances everywhere outside the arena.

“Catherine’s got her last GCSE today but I’ve made sure her school are aware and are supporting students who were affected.”

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Catherine’s dad Stephen said he was woken by Jayne and at first couldn’t believe what she was telling him.

“I set off to pick them up and was frantically changing radio stations to find out more but it wasn’t until I got into Manchester and the roads were closed that it started to come on the radio that a bomb had exploded.

“I managed to talk to Jayne again and we don’t know Manchester that well so arranged to meet near her work on the outskirts.

“Luckily her and the girls managed to get there to meet me.

“Catherine was shaken but didn’t want to talk about it so we just drove back to Huddersfield with the radio on. We all couldn’t believe what had just happened and still can’t.”