No missing kids at Holiday Inn: Hotel debunks phony social media reports

23 May, 2017 13:54 / Updated 8 years ago

No children were brought to the Holiday Inn in Manchester following the Ariana Grande concert, the hotel confirmed. The response comes after false reports circulated online that more than 60 unaccompanied kids sought shelter there following the attack.

The Holiday Inn issued a statement that none were at the hotel but it would provide updates if it received any information on the whereabouts of any missing people.

READ MORE: International leaders express sorrow & solidarity after Manchester terrorist bombing

Speaking to RT Tuesday, a spokesperson for the hotel confirmed that no unaccompanied children stayed at the Holiday Inn Express near the Manchester City Arena or any other of its hotels in the area.

Viral posts claimed online that dozens of children remained at the hotel and encouraged people to retweet the message and contact the hotel.

It follows a post from Paula Robinson on Facebook Monday night where she claimed she walked a group of 50 children to the Holiday Inn for safety.

Robinson said she was waiting with the children while they were being picked up, however it appears her remarks were misconstrued.

The Premier Inn also stated that the group had not sought refuge at one of its hotels.

Manchester police has since issued a statement saying that as far as they are aware there are no unaccompanied children in any Manchester hotel.

Social media has been flooded by pleas from families for information about loved ones missing since the blast.

The hashtags #manchestermissing and #MissingInManchester are being used alongside photos of young people who are reportedly still separated from their families.

Some hoax reports circulating online have also been debunked. These included an image of a boy who modeled for a fashion line for people with Down’s Syndrome and appeared in a 2014 Daily Mail article.

There were also a number of reports online of a man with a gun outside the Royal Oldham Hospital. Police confirmed there was no incident there.

A Facebook safety check was activated following the explosion, allowing people at the location to mark themselves safe. An emergency number has also been set up for anyone who is concerned about a loved one.