Manchester Arena Inquiry: Stewards used makeshift items to help victims

Stewards working the night of the Manchester Arena attack used makeshift stretchers and clothing to help causalities, an inquiry has heard.

The Manchester Arena Inquiry was told many staff working for venue security firm Showsec were caught up in the 2017 atrocity and quickly tried to help.

Security supervisor Jordan Beak said he and a police officer used merchandise T-shirts to treat injured children.

His colleague Megan Bulmer said she made a tourniquet from a belt ribbon.

Twenty-two people died and hundreds more were injured when Salman Abedi detonated a home-made device in the arena's City Room foyer at 22:31 BST on 22 May 2017.

The inquiry heard Mr Beak helped carry a woman out of the foyer on a bike rack, before returning to help other victims.

In a statement, he said he "grabbed a load of T-shirts from the merchandise stall" to cover people up and use as wound dressings.

He said he then teamed up with a police officer to treat children who were bleeding "as best they could".

In his statement, supervisor David Middleton said he was knocked to the ground after "an enormous bang and a flash" of light.

He said he diverted crowds away from the doors to the foyer, before going into the room himself.

He said he heard a woman shout "help me" and went to her aid, holding her hand until he was ordered to leave the arena by armed police.

"I spoke to two males who had leg injuries. I advised them medics would be with them shortly," his statement said.

"The police then demanded we left the building."

Mr Middleton said he also saw a girl sat outside who was having a panic attack and "got a souvenir bag to help the girl breathe normally".

Fellow supervisor Akeel Butt said he "helped anyone he could".

The inquiry heard he tore down boards from walls to create makeshift stretchers and carry the injured and ordered panic-stricken concertgoers to calm down and stop pushing and running.

The hearing was also told Ms Bulmer, a part-time steward at the time of the attack, helped numerous casualties, dressing head wounds and applying a makeshift tourniquet to the leg of an injured woman using "some ribbon from her own belt".

She also "assisted a colleague who was comforting a female", holding the woman's head and stroking her hair to "try to comfort her while medics treated her leg injuries".

The inquiry continues.

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