What happened to Saffie Roussos, when was the Manchester Arena bombing victim’s funeral and what was Ariana Grande’s tribute?
SAFFIE Roussos was the youngest victim of the Manchester terror attack which took place following an Ariana Grande concert last year.
Here's the background on the young girl, when her funeral took place and how Ariana Grande paid tribute to her.
What happened to Saffie Roussos?
On May 22, eight-year-old Saffie-Rose Roussos was one of 22 people killed as they left an Ariana Grande concert at the Manchester Arena.
ISIS suicide bomber Salman Abedi carried a rucksack packed with a "massive number" of small metal objects which "flew through the air at high velocity in all directions" when detonated.
Saffie was caught in the blast and became one of the UK’s youngest victims of terror.
The eight-year-old had gone to the concert with her mother Lisa, 48, and her sister Ashlee Bromwich, 24, both of whom suffered serious injuries.
She was a huge fan of Ariana Grande and was said to be “elated” to be at the concert.
The pop superstar recently paid an emotional tribute to Saffie, saying: “Saffie, we’re [thinking] of you baby” alongside a birthday cake emoji, on what would have been her ninth birthday.
Saffie's mother Lisa awoke from a coma having been on a life-support machine and turned to her heartbroken husband Andrew, saying "she’s gone, isn’t she?".
The devastated dad described arriving at the arena to find the bomb had gone off – and eventually found Ashlee being treated but couldn’t find Saffie or his wife.
A friend helped confirm medics at Salford Royal Hospital were taking care of his wife but heard nothing about Saffie.
Mr Roussos hoped she might be in one of the hotels but as the hours went on he was told by police she had died.
A concertgoer told The Sun how he held Saffie moments after the bomb went off.
Paul Reid, 43, said she asked for her mum before being taken to the hospital.
MOST READ IN NEWS
When did Saffie's funeral take place?
Saffie's funeral took place on July 26, 2017, at Manchester Cathedral.
The headteacher of her school Chris Upton delivered a moving eulogy at the service and said Saffie had been counting down the days until the concert.
Upton said: "Lisa [Saffie's mother] rarely watched the stage that evening but, instead, her beautiful daughter, who knew every song, sang every word and danced - I mean really danced - and didn't have a care in the world."
He added that Saffie had a "quiet confidence" and was a friend of everybody.
"As you leave the cathedral today, try and be a little bit more like Saffie: ambitious, good-humoured, loving and passionate," he told those gathered at her funeral.
"The world will truly be a better place."
What has Saffie's dad said about Saffie's death?
On what would have been his daughter's ninth birthday, Andrew Roussos told the BBC his family had “lost everything” when Saffie died.
He said: “We’ve lost everything. We have, we’ve lost everything because life will just never be the same.”
He said he wanted to speak out so as not to let her birthday go by unmarked – and to keep her memory alive.
“We didn’t want to just let her birthday pass," he added.
How did Ariana Grande pay tribute to Saffie?
Aiana Grande paid an emotional tribute to Saffie Roussos, the youngest victim of the Manchester Arena bombing, on what would have been her ninth birthday.
After performing in Buenos Aires last year, Grande posted on social media: "Saffie, we're [thinking] of you baby" alongside a birthday cake emoji.