MANCHESTER, UK (WSVN) — Thousands of people have raised money for two homeless men who ran to help those injured in the suicide bombing at an Ariana Grande concert in the UK.
Chris Parker, 33, told the Guardian that he was sitting in the foyer of the Manchester Arena begging for money from concert-goers when the bomb went off.
“It knocked me to the floor and then I got up and instead of running away my gut instinct was to run back and try and help. There was people lying on the floor everywhere,” he told the paper.
“I saw a little girl … she had no legs. I wrapped her in one of the merchandise T-shirts and I said: ‘Where is your mum and daddy?’ She said: ‘My dad is at work, my mum is up there,’” he said, saying he believed the girl’s mother passed away from her injuries.
He also recounted how he comforted an elderly woman who had serious injuries to her head and legs.
“She passed away in my arms. She was in her 60s and said she had been with her family,” he recalled. “I haven’t stopped crying.”
Parker said he has been homeless for about a year, and regularly panhandled at the arena. He said he remembered people looking happy before the bomb detonated, which he described as a “bang and a white flash.”
Steve Jones told ITV News how he helped injured children who had been blasted with nails in the attack.
“It was children with blood all over them, they were crying and screaming. We were having to pull nails out of their arms and a couple out of a little girl’s face,” Jones said.
“Just because I’m homeless doesn’t mean I’ve not got a heart, and I’m not human still. I’d like to think someone would help me if I needed the help.”
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After news spread of the selfless actions of both men, Manchester residents decided to create fundraising pages to help them.
“Homelessness in this country is a widespread tragedy but it is absolutely unacceptable that someone who can react so heroically in such a terrifying situation should be on the streets,” wrote Michael Johns, creator of the GoFundMe page for Parker. “Hopefully this campaign will go some way to helping Chris off the streets and also show are gratitude for his actions.”
In just one day, the page has raised over $50,000 to help Parker. Meanwhile, Diane Moore started a page of her own to help out Jones, which has raised over $34,000 so far.
To donate, visit their fundraising pages here:
https://www.gofundme.com/3dgkuj-help-chris-parker
https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/Stevethehero
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