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Teenager Georgina Callander Named As First Victim Of Manchester Attack

16-year-old Georgina Callander was killed in the blast that killed 22.
Georgina Callander had tweeted her excitement about seeing Ariana Grande in concert just a day before.
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Georgina Callander had tweeted her excitement about seeing Ariana Grande in concert just a day before.

The first confirmed victim of the Manchester attack that killed 22 people and injured 59 has been named as a 16-year-old Georgina Callander.

Callander was caught in a blast at the Manchester Arena on Monday night local UK time when a lone bomber detonated an improvised explosive at an Ariana Grande concert.

She is understood to have passed away in hospital, according to Yahoo News.

The day before the tragic incident, the young teenager had tweeted out her excitement about attending Grande's concert.

Family and friends of Callander described her as "a beautiful girl with the kindest heart and soul," who "deserved the world [and] more," according to Metro UK.

The school Callander attended, Runshaw College in Lancashire, also confirmed her death in the attack, saying its "deepest sympathies, thoughts and prayers go out to all of Georgina's friends, family, and all of those affected by this loss."

Callander's death comes after Greater Manchester Police confirmed the 22 fatalities at the concert where thousands of people, including many children, were gathered for the Grande's performance.

The arena is the largest in Europe, holding up to 21,000 people.

"We have been treating this as a terrorist incident and we believe that while the attack last night was conducted by one man, the priority is to establish whether he was acting alone or as part of a network," Chief constable Ian Hopkins said in a statement.

"The attacker, I can confirm, died at the arena. We believe the attacker was carrying an improvised explosive device, which he detonated, causing this atrocity."

Video has emerged on social media which appears to show the moment the explosion goes off, and the confusion and growing fear which followed.

Footage posted on social media shows thousands of fans screaming as they pour out of the packed stadium. Images show the injured being helped from the scene by emergency services.

An eyewitness, Andy, was in the foyer near the entrance to the arena when the explosion went off and was thrown to the ground by the force of the explosion.

He told BBC 5 live that the scene was "like something out of a war film".

"When I get up and look round, there's just bodies everywhere -- I reckon 20 to 30 bodies. I can't say if some of them were dead but they looked dead.

"They were covered in blood and were really seriously hurt."

Australia's Smart Traveller website has updated their travel advice for Australians to include the incident, but the overall safety level for the UK has not changed.

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