Manchester terror attack: Homeless man 'pulled nails out of child's face'

'If I didn't help, I wouldn't be able to live with myself for walking away and leaving kids like that'

A homeless man said he pulled nails from the arms and faces of injured children before paramedics arrived to treat the victims of the Manchester terror attack.

Stephen Jones, 35, was sleeping near Manchester Arena when he heard the explosion from the homemade bomb detonated, killing 22 people and injuring 59 others.

After rushing to provide help, he found "a lot of children with blood all over them crying and screaming".

"They needed the help, I'd like to think that someone would come and help me if I needed the help," he told ITV News. "It was just my instinct to go and help people out.

"We were having to pull nails out of their arms, and a couple out of this little girl's face.

"Some lady, she got cut from her side, so my mate had to hold her legs up... we just held her legs up because we thought she was just going to bleed right out.

"If I didn't help, I wouldn't be able to live with myself for walking away and leaving kids like that. Just because I'm homeless it doesn't mean that I haven't got a heart and I'm not human still."

Earlier in the day another homeless man, Chris Parker, described the moment when an injured woman died in his arms after he rushed into the arena to help.

He said he also aided a girl who he said had lost her legs in the blast.

A crowdfunding page was set up in honour of Mr Parker's courage in the face of danger, which raised over £2,000 in under three hours.

The attack was the worst seen in the UK since 56 people were killed during the 7 July London bombings in 2005.