A judge has awarded millions to 16 people who were injured during the bombing at Ariana Grande’s Manchester Arena concert.
NME reports that £20 million ($26.7 million) will be paid to the 16 concertgoers, all of whom were under 16 in 2017, with each person receiving a sum between £2,770 and £11.4 million ($3,707 and $15.2 million).
The identities of the 16 people and their families have been concealed due to a court order. Some of the attendees endured life-changing injuries, and others now have extreme psychological trauma.
“Each of these cases has a common link, that is injuries and loss suffered, arising out of a single and unimaginable act of terrorism committed on the evening of May 22, 2017 at the end of a concert attended by very many young people and their families,” Judge Nigel Bird said, per the outlet.
“Twenty-two innocent lives were lost, and the lives of countless others impacted. The love and care a parent gives to an injured child is beyond monetary value.”
On May 22, 2017, a suicide bomber orchestrated an attack on concertgoers in the foyer of the AO Arena, after Grande’s concert was over. ISIS later claimed responsibility for the bombing.
As the judge said, 22 people were killed, and 1,017 were injured. The incident also led to Grande developing PTSD, a diagnosis she publicly shared in 2018.
An investigation into the attack was launched in September 2020, and it was later discovered that there were opportunities for authorities to thwart the bombing.
Venue manager SMG Europe Holdings, crowd management company Showsec International Ltd, Greater Manchester Police, and British Transport Police will be paying damages. All four organizations apologized to the survivors and families of those who died.