Twitter

Many popular social media accounts posted incredibly viral tweets suggesting a group of around 50 unaccompanied children had been taken in by a Holiday Inn hotel close to the Manchester Arena following the Ariana Grande gig. Many of the tweets, apparently shared in good faith, urged concerned relatives to phone Holiday Inn directly if they could not get in touch with their child following the terrorist attack.

A spokesperson for InterContinental Hotels – the parent company of Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza – said staff at its Manchester hotels worked through the night to support the police and offered help to people who required immediate refuge following the bombing.

"Our thoughts are with all the victims of this horrendous tragedy as well as their friends and family and the people of Manchester," they said.

However, the spokesperson clarified that the reports of a large group of unaccompanied children were incorrect. Instead, the company urged the public to call official police helplines if they are searching for family members.

"There has been reports of a number of unaccompanied children being bought to a Holiday Inn or Holiday Inn Express in the area, however these are incorrect," the spokesperson said. "Our hotels were working with police throughout the night, but we did not have a group of unaccompanied children at our hotel."

Some tweets also suggested the children were actually staying at a nearby Premier Inn. However, a spokesperson for Premier Inn also confirmed it did not take in a large group of unaccompanied children.

In a statement Greater Manchester Police said they do not believe there are any unaccompanied children in any of the hotels in Manchester as a result of the explosion last night.