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Manchester marks first anniversary of concert attack

By Sara Shayanian
A makeshift memorial honors 22 people killed in the Manchester bombing on May 26, 2017. Tuesday, Britain will mark the first anniversary of the suicide attack with a moment of silence. File photo by Mushtaq Mohammed/UPI
A makeshift memorial honors 22 people killed in the Manchester bombing on May 26, 2017. Tuesday, Britain will mark the first anniversary of the suicide attack with a moment of silence. File photo by Mushtaq Mohammed/UPI | License Photo

May 22 (UPI) -- On the first anniversary of the bombing at a Manchester pop concert, British officials will observe a moment of silence Tuesday to honor nearly two dozen people who died in the attack.

Officials will honor the 22 dead and nearly 60 injured when suicide bomber Salman Abedi detonated an explosive device on the night of May 22, 2017, during an Ariana Grande concert at the Manchester Arena.

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British Prime Minister Theresa May and the Duke of Cambridge will be among those attending a service at Manchester Cathedral. Officials said victims' families, survivors, first responders, civic leaders and other prominent figures will also be there.

Government buildings will observe one minute of silence Tuesday afternoon. The Duke of Cambridge will meet with families following the memorial.

"Today we come together, we remember each of the 22 people whose lives were taken and we re-commit to supporting their families and all affected," Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said in a tweet.

"Thinking of you all today and every day. I love you with all of me and am sending you all of the light and warmth I have to offer on this challenging day," Grande tweeted late Monday.

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More than 3,000 singers from local choirs will sing at an event in Albert Square Tuesday called "Manchester Together - With One Voice."

"If I could go back in time, I would change everything. But I can't, so what I'm going to do is I'm going to try and live my best life," survivor Adam Lawler, 16, told BBC News. "We won't be beaten because we're Manchester."

Survivor Dan Hett, whose brother died in the attack, said the support he's received in the past year has been "overwhelming."

Officials are planning a permanent memorial to honor those killed in the attack.

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