Messages and floral tributes are seen in Albert Square in Manchester, northwest England, on May 23, 2017, in solidarity with those killed and injured in the May 22 terror attack at the Ariana Grande concert at the Manchester Arena.聽Twenty two people have been killed and dozens injured in Britain鈥檚 deadliest terror attack in over a decade after a suspected suicide bomber targeted fans leaving a concert of Grande. British police on Tuesday named the suspected attacker behind the Manchester concert bombing as Salman Abedi, but declined to give any further details. AFP
MANCHESTER, United Kingdom 鈥� A homeless man begging at the Manchester Arena as the suicide attack went off was being hailed as a hero Tuesday after cradling a dying woman in his arms.
Chris Parker, 33, had been begging in the arena foyer where suicide bomber Salman Abedi detonated his device late Monday, killing 22 people.
Amid the carnage and chaos as people began to leave the concert by US pop star Ariane Grande, who has a large teenage girl following, he rushed to help victims.
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Stephen Jones, 35, who had been sleeping rough near the arena in the northwest English city, also ran to help deal with the gruesome aftermath.
Members of the public have raised thousands of pounds (dollars, euros) to pay them back for their heroics.
A tearful Parker recounted: 鈥淚 heard a bang and within a split second I saw a white flash, then smoke and then I heard screaming.
鈥淚t knocked me to the floor and then I got up and instead of running away my gut instinct was to run back and try and help,鈥� he told the Press Association news agency.
鈥淭here was people lying on the floor everywhere.
鈥淚 saw a little girl鈥� she had no legs. I wrapped her in one of the merchandise T-shirts and I said 鈥榳here is your mum and daddy?鈥� She said: 鈥榤y dad is at work, my mum is up there鈥�.鈥�
He said he thought the mother had died.
鈥業 haven鈥檛 stopped crying鈥�
Parker, who has slept rough in Manchester for about a year, regularly goes to the arena to beg for change as crowds head home from the 21,000-capacity venue.
He said he tended to a woman who died as he tried to comfort her.
鈥淪he passed away in my arms. She was in her 60s and said she had been with her family,鈥� Parker said.
鈥淚 haven鈥檛 stopped crying.
鈥淭he most shocking part of it is that it was a kids鈥� concert.
鈥淭here were nuts and bolts all over the floor. People had holes in their back.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the screams I can鈥檛 get over and the smell鈥� I don鈥檛 like to say it but it smelled like burning flesh.鈥�
A crowdfunding webpage set up for him has raised more than 拢10,000 ($13,000, 11,600 euros).
The page was set up by Michael Johns, who said he felt compelled to help 鈥渙ne of our most vulnerable in society who showed great selflessness and courage鈥�.
Johns said he was not yet in touch with Parker but was trying to track him down through journalists who spoke to him.
鈥榃e need to give back鈥�
Jones, a former bricklayer who has been sleeping rough for more than a year,聽recalled wiping blood from children鈥檚 eyes after dashing to help.
鈥淚t was a lot of children with blood all over them, crying and screaming,鈥� he told ITV television.
鈥淲e were having to pull nails out of their arms and a couple out of this little girl鈥檚 face.鈥�
Jones said it was 鈥渏ust instinct鈥� to help.
鈥淚f I didn鈥檛 help I wouldn鈥檛 be able to live with myself walking away and leaving kids like that,鈥� he said.
A crowdfunding page for Jones has also raised 拢10,000.
鈥淛ust because I鈥檓 homeless, it doesn鈥檛 mean I haven鈥檛 got a heart,鈥� he said.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of good people with Manchester who help us out and we need to give back too.鈥� CBB