Atleast 19 people died and about 50 injured when an explosion described by police as a likely terrorist attack ripped through a crowd of teenagers and other concert¬ goers late Monday in the English city of Manchester.

Initial reports said that the attack may have been a suicide bombing, according to two U.S. security officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation. British authorities, who were meeting in emergency sessions in Manchester and London, did not immediately confirm those reports, Washington Post reports said.

According to the police, blast occurred about 10:30 p.m., minutes after pop star Ariana Grande had finished her set.

 The explosion set off a panicked reaction as fans struggled to flee and parents and teens searched for each other amid the carnage.

British Prime Minister Theresa May issued a statement in the early hours of Tuesday saying that authorities were “working to establish the full details of what is being treated by the police as an appalling terrorist attack.”

Greater Manchester Police said the blast was being “treated as a terrorist incident until police know otherwise.”

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, and police did not speculate about possible motives.

If confirmed as a terrorist attack, it would be the worst strike on British soil since 2005, when Islamist extremists bombed the London subway and a bus, killing 54 people .

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