Being close to the scene of a terrorist attack is different than seeing it unfold on the screen.
For Sarah Beth Keeley, who attended Mount Boucherie Secondary in West 琉璃神社, the situation was all too real when a suicide bomber detonated an explosive at the end of an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester Arena, Monday night.
A little more than 200 yards away, Keeley and her Canadian boyfriend Gavin Sorochan were performing as part of a musical tour in the U.K., promoting their new single in an entertainment venue down the street, called Gullivers.
The bombing happened while Keeley was performing. They first thought a transformer had blown in the arena. Staff at the Gullivers venue locked the doors.
鈥淲e didn鈥檛 actually hear anything at that point,鈥� she said, adding there was music and performances underway. Shortly thereafter, the venue went on lockdown.
Keeley and her boyfriend didn鈥檛 find out it was a suicide bombing as no one could go anywhere to get details.
鈥淥nce we learned it was a bombing we had to stay in there,鈥� she said.
After an hour they were let outside into the streets which Keeley described as a 鈥済host town鈥� aside from emergency personnel.
鈥淭here were police everywhere and you could hear sirens continuously and a couple of helicopters were circling.鈥�
She walked to her hotel which was at the corner of the street by a barricade.
鈥淵ou feel strange, you feel confused,鈥� she said. 鈥淓verything had been shut down everywhere.鈥�
They arrived at their hotel after learning it was a bombing at the concert. Twenty-two people lost their lives.
鈥淭here was a young couple, there were young girls with their heads down in their phones probably texting their parents and there was a lady with her face in her hands crying because she couldn鈥檛 find her daughter and you鈥檙e in the middle of this freaking out,鈥� she said.
The situation was foreign to her, after only seeing terrorist attacks in the media from afar. The couple was worried there would be more attacks.
鈥淥ur biggest concern wasn鈥檛 really the bombing鈥� what we were concerned about was this would be like another Paris ordeal where the gunman might鈥檝e been mobile,鈥� said Sorochan, as they had yet to learn it was a suicide bombing.
They stayed in Manchester for two more nights and cancelled their last show out of respect for the victims of the attack.
The pair said they haven鈥檛 had a chance to properly reflect on the incident and how they may view it could change, once they are back in Canada.
鈥淲hen you鈥檙e separated from an event you can sort of take a look at it from a third person,鈥� said Sorochan. 鈥淚 know how we saw 9/11 and there was an immediate 鈥極h my god.鈥� When you鈥檙e in something, you have to react. Now if we come back to Canada, we may sit and say 鈥業 don鈥檛 know if I want to venture out again,鈥欌�� he said.
鈥淚鈥檝e thought about my flight home out of London,鈥� added Keeley. 鈥淚 feel less relaxed going back to the airport than coming here.鈥�
Keeley鈥檚 father and stepmother Mike and Jo Bullock live in West 琉璃神社 and they said they weren鈥檛 aware of the situation in Manchester until after they received a text from Keeley saying she was OK.
鈥淚mmediately I thought something has happened,鈥� said father Mike Bullock. 鈥淚鈥檓 very grateful for her doing that.鈥�
Moving forward, Bullock said there is concern for his daughter鈥檚 safety.
鈥淲e haven鈥檛 really worried a lot about terrorism because of where she was traveling to in the past. Going forward it鈥檚 a bit of an issue for sure,鈥� he said.
carli.berry@kelownacapnews.com
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