PICTURES: How the suspected terror attack at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester unfolded

Police said they believed the attack was perpetrated by one man who was "carrying an improvised explosive device."

People were warned to avoid the arena area, and the Victoria transit station was shut down during the police investigation. Many Manchester taxis offered free rides to people stranded in the area.

Here is how the chaotic and deadly night unfolded in Manchester:

At 10:54 p.m. local time, Greater Manchester Police announced via Twitter that officers were responding to "reports of an incident at Manchester Arena," where the singer Ariana Grande was finishing her concert.

The city of Manchester has a population of about 530,000, and the arena is near the centre.

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The arena is just over 200 miles from London.

There was chaos in the arena while people scrambled to escape. Many were holding pink balloons released during the show.

The situation was updated to a "serious incident" at 11:29 p.m. People were encouraged to avoid the area as ambulances and emergency services rushed to the scene.

One woman said she took 50 young girls who couldn't find their parents to the nearby Manchester Holiday Inn to wait safely until parents or guardians could pick them up.

The first photos of people with injuries began emerging on Twitter around midnight.

Police said first responders were "working tirelessly" and that there were "confirmed fatalities" at the scene at 11:44 p.m.

Bomb disposal units arrived at the scene just past midnight.

Police announced just past 1 a.m. on May 23 that 19 people had been killed after reports of an explosion. First responders tended to the dozens of injured people while ambulances took victims to six hospitals across Greater Manchester.

Police cordoned off an area near the box office of Manchester Arena. The explosion reportedly was in the foyer or lobby of the venue.

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As the night stretched on, police escorted concertgoers, including many teenage girls and their parents, to safety.

Facebook activated its safety-check function so people could alert their friends and family that they were safe.

Manchester police told reporters at a press conference just after 3 a.m. that they were working with local and national counterterrorism and intelligence forces on the case.

Just after 7 a.m., Manchester police confirmed that 22 people had died, some of them children.

Chief constable Ian Hopkins confirmed at another press conference that the attacker was one man who was "carrying an improvised explosive device, which he detonated, causing this atrocity." The attacker also died in the explosion, police said.

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Hopkins added, "Emergency numbers have been established for anyone who is concerned for loved ones who may not have returned home: 0161 856 9400 or 0161 856 9900."

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Prime Minister Theresa May and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn agreed to suspend general-election campaigning on Tuesday. Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham described the attack as an "evil act."

The prime minister was due to chair an emergency Cobra committee meeting at 9 a.m. Tuesday. Meetings of Cobra, an acronym for Cabinet Office Briefing Room A, are usually attended by government ministers along with emergency, security, and intelligence officials.

Speaking in Israel, US President Donald Trump branded the attacker a "loser" and called for his "wicked ideology" to be "completely obliterated." He said, "We stand in absolute solidarity with the people of the United Kingdom," adding, "I won't call them monsters, because they would like that term. They would think that's a great name. I will call them, from now on, losers, because that's what they are."

At the request of European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, flags flew at half-mast outside the European Commission building in Brussels, Belgium, on Tuesday.

Messages of sympathy and horror from celebrities all over the world flooded Twitter.

Several prominent politicians and people in the business world have also expressed their condolences.

Ariana Grande reportedly suspended the European leg of her world tour.

TMZ reported that she was "inconsolable" and "in hysterics" when she learned of the casualties after the explosion.

After the Cobra meeting, May condemned what she called a "callous terrorist attack." She said security services believed they knew the identity of the attacker but would not release his name until it had been confirmed. She said it was "among the worst terrorist incidents we have ever experienced in the UK." May will now travel to Manchester to meet with people dealing with the aftermath of the attack.

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May said, "This attack stands out for its appalling, sickening cowardice."

At about 11:30 a.m., reports emerged of crowds running away from Manchester's Arndale shopping centre.

Andy Hughes, a home affairs correspondent for Sky News, said it appeared to be a false alarm. Evacuated staff members were seen reentering the building shortly after.

At 11:50 a.m., the Press Association reported that a 23-year-old man had been arrested in connection with the attack.

Shortly after noon, Queen Elizabeth II released a statement expressing her "deepest sympathy to all who have been affected by this dreadful event."

Police started to release names of the victims around noon. The first named was Georgina Callander, 18. Eight-year-old Saffie Rose Roussos was also among the victims.

Numerous others who attended the concert are still missing. Police provided emergency numbers for anyone concerned about loved ones who may not have returned home: 0161 856 9400 or 0161 856 9900.

On Tuesday afternoon, police said several warrants in the Manchester area had been executed.

As of 3:30 p.m., police had made at least one arrest in connection with the bombing. Manchester police also conducted a controlled explosion.

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PICTURES: How the suspected terror attack at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester unfolded

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