MANCHESTER — The deadly blast that hit Manchester Arena brought out the best and worst in humanity.

Concert-goers caught up in the immediate aftermath of the attack recounted a stampede as people rushed to leave the scene. But later, residents of the city rallied together with heartwarming offers of help for those affected.

Ms Jessica, an eyewitness who did not give her full name, said: “Everyone just trampled over us just to get out.

“I was shocked, I didn’t know what was going on. Everyone was sprinting, so we were just getting stamped on and everything,” she said.

One older woman in a wheelchair was trapped in the tumult, as another spectator shouted at the crowds to let her through.

A video that circulated on social media showed concert-goers jumping over barricades inside the concert venue as they sought a quick exit.

Molly Cronin, 18, described a mini-stampede of panicked fans. “Kids were getting crushed and we were trying to help them,’’ she said, noting that the timing of the blast seemed “deliberate”.

However, there were also displays of graciousness and community spirit as the hashtag #RoomForManchester appeared on Twitter soon after the blast, and quickly trended as the night progressed.

“Ring if you need a place to come sit,” one Twitter user wrote, with a phone number provided.

Social media posts said the Premier Inn and other Manchester hotels also threw their doors open as shelters.

Besides accommodation, some residents offered drinks as well as free rides to people stranded by the shutdown in train services because of the blast. “(Contact) me if you need somewhere to go, to use a landline, to have tea and sit down. Anything,” wrote another Twitter user.

A number of Manchester taxi services offered free rides to people unable to get home after the incident. AGENCIES