Bystander leads 50 teens to safety in aftermath of Manchester Arena bombing

A member of the public has been praised for her actions following reports that she led a number of unaccompanied youngsters to safety in the immediate aftermath of the suicide bombing at Manchester Arena on Monday evening.

Paula Robinson, 48, from West Dalton, told the Manchester Evening News she was at Manchester Victoria railway station, close to the arena, when the attack took place.

She felt the explosion, then saw a large number of teenage girls running away from the venue.

"We ran out. It was literally seconds after the explosion," she said. "I got the teens to run with me."

She led the group to a nearby hotel, then shared her contact details on social media so the girls' parents could contact her.

It is thought that Ms Robinson named the wrong hotel in her posts. A spokesperson for Holiday Inn said:

"There has been reports of a number of unaccompanied children being bought to a Holiday Inn or Holiday Inn Express in the area, however these are incorrect.

"Our hotels were working with police throughout the night, but we did not have a group of unaccompanied children at our hotel."

On Tuesday morning Ms Robinson said she was no longer with the children, and urged parents and guardians trying to track down children to contact the authorities. The official helpline number is 0161 856 9400.

Ms Robinson has been hailed as hero on social media:

That Paula Robinson needs a recognition award of some sort. Absolutely amazing of her to take all those people in last night.
— Mickey (@_MickeyPreedy) May 23, 2017

Paula Robinson is a hero and angel and everything in between.
What an amazing woman providing light in a dark time. #PrayForManchester
— Verity 🙃🌍 (@LplVerity) May 23, 2017