A woman is “lucky to be alive” after her mobile phone reportedly slowed down and diverted a nut used during the Manchester bomb attack on Monday.
Steve Bridgett has shared photos on Facebook of a damaged and bloodied iPhone, which he said his wife, Lisa, was using at the time of the attack.
Lisa lost a middle finger when a steel nut struck her as she left the Ariana Grande concert on Monday night, but it is believed her injuries could have been much more serious had she not been on her mobile phone at the time of the bombing.
Her husband said the phone probably slowed down and diverted the nut, which entered her cheek.
He wrote in a post on Facebook that his wife was “in a positive mood and feels very lucky to be alive”.
Steve said that his wife has a fractured ankle caused by shrapnel and a large bullet hole wound to her thigh, as well as other cuts and bruises.
But he added: “The fact she was on her phone at the time as probably saved her life... as the nut has hit her phone which has more than likely not only diverted it, but also slowed it down considerably.”
He said that his wife will “make a full recovery”, although her finger could not be salvaged.
He thanked the police for their “incredible” work after the incident and all the hospital staff.
The bomb, detonated by Salman Adebi at about 10.30pm, killed 22 people and injured scores more.
Many of those caught up on the blast were children, with the killer detonating the bomb in the foyer as fans left the concert.
The sister of the Manchester bomber said she believes her brother carried out the terror attack because he “wanted revenge” for children dying in Syria.
Jomana Abedi said that she was surprised by the 22-year-old’s actions and said he was driven by what he perceived to be injustices.
“I think he saw children—Muslim children—dying everywhere, and wanted revenge,” she told the Wall Street Journal.
“He saw the explosives America drops on children in Syria, and he wanted revenge.
“Whether he got that is between him and God.”