A couple who stopped to pose for a selfie before picking up their daughters from the Manchester Arena on Monday night, are among the 22 victims of the terrorist attack.
Pictures of the Polish couple, Angelika and Marcin Klis, were shared thousands of times across social media on Tuesday after their daughter, Alex, appealed for information about them on Facebook.
Alex wrote: “Anyone who is in any safe place or hospital in Manchester, if anyone comes across my parents please, please, let me know as they’ve been missing ever since the attack, this is a picture taken tonight so this is exactly what they were wearing.”
Her post was shared 11,000 times.
The couple, from York, were waiting outside the arena to pick up Alex and her sister who had been watching Ariana Grande perform when they were killed by an improvised explosive device detonated by Salman Ramadan Abedi in an Islamic State claimed attack. The explosion killed a number of children and injured 64 others.
The Polish foreign minister, Witold Waszczykowski, confirmed the couple had been killed in the tragedy, saying on Wednesday: “The parents came after the concert to collect their daughters and unfortunately we have information that they are dead.
“The children are safe.”
A third Polish national also suffered severe injuries following the blast, but is now understood to be stable, The Manchester Evening News reported.
A tweet, the newspaper translated from Polish, said: “Please note that among the deaths in #Manchester at least two citizens, and one was wounded.
“We are in pain with family and loved ones of the victims and sincere sympathy. Consuls surrounded their care.”
Hundreds of tributes have been paid to the couple on social media sites in English and Polish.
“Deepest condolences to the whole family, I can’t imagine what you have to go through now, I’m so sorry all the thoughts are with you,” Nikola Dzimidowicz wrote on Facebook.
Lisa Elliott added: “Can’t begin to say how sorry I am for you, my heart hurts for you and your family.”
Three separate fundraising pages have since been launched to raise money to cover the family’s funeral costs and to support Alex and her sister.
A Crowdfunder page started by Patricia Stelmach reads:
“Marcin and Angelika Klis have lost their lives in the attack in Manchester Arena. They left behind two very young daughters and my heart is completely broken for them.
I, therefore, decided to make this crowfunding page to help the young daughters with funeral costs and any additional expenses they will have to incur due to this terror attack.
Please donate guys, it would mean the world if we could help those girls!! And the least we can do is send our prayers their way and try and help them financially. I understand that nothing will bring their parents back but such unexpected financial costs can cause additional stress and the young daughters do not deserve this.”
A JustGiving page was also launched to help cover the family’s funeral costs along with a GoFundMe page.
On Wednesday Greater Manchester Police said it was now “confident that we know” the identities of all of the people killed in Monday’s tragedy.
A statement from police said: “We have made contact with all of the families and our specially trained officers are supporting them.
“Due to the number of victims, Forensic Post Mortems are likely to take four to five days. After this we will be in a position to formally name the victims with guidance from the Coroner. “
So far, the known victims of the terrorist attack include an an auntie who died shielding her niece from the blast, a 15-year-old girl and the youngest victim, to date, an eight-year-old girl.
The victims that have been named so far are: Olivia Campbell, 15, from Bury, Greater Manchester; Kelly Brewster, 32, who shielded her sister and niece from the blast; Martyn Hett, 29, from Stockport who was a Coronation Street superfan who went viral for touching act of kindness for his mother; Alison Howe, 45, from Royton, Oldham; Lisa Lees, 47; Polish nationals, Angelika and Marcin Klis. On Tuesday, the youngest victim, 8-year-old Saffie Rose Roussos, from Leyland was named along with Georgina Callander, 18, of Lancashire and John Atkinson, 28 of Radcliffe.