UPDATE: Manchester attack victim inquests to go ahead as planned
HM Coroners Office in Manchester admits an error on its website.
Last updated 23rd Nov 2017
A pre-inquest hearing into the deaths of the 22 victims of the Manchester Arena suicide bombing will go ahead on Friday, the city's coroners office has confirmed.
A notice on its website stated that it had been postponed to a be a date to be confirmed in early 2018 as the "evidence gathering process is still ongoing''.
On Thursday, HM Coroners Office for Manchester City Area told Key 103 that the website was incorrect and that a short hearing would be held as originally planned at Manchester Town Hall at 10.30am tomorrow.
The inquests were opened and adjourned by HM Senior Coroner Nigel Meadows at Manchester Civil Justice Centre in June as brief summaries to the background circumstances of each of the fatalities from the May 22 atrocity were outlined.
It's expected that this next hearing will also be opened and adjourned before another pre-inquest hearing in June 2018.
A separate inquest is taking place into the death of bomber Salman Abedi, 22, which was also opened and adjourned in June. A further preliminary hearing of his inquest will take place at Manchester Town Hall on December 1.
Abedi detonated the device at the end of an Ariande Grande concert with 353 people, including 175 children, around him in the foyer of the arena venue, police said earlier this month.
As well as the 22 dead, 16 people were very seriously injured including paralysis, loss of limbs, internal injuries, and very serious facial injuries involving complicated plastic surgery. Two people remain in hospital, added police.
A total of 512 people were either physically injured or left profoundly traumatised with 112 treated in hospital.