Sonal Pathak, a 41 year old Doctor from Liverpool, and her 13-year-old daughter Shreya and friend Anya made a narrow and almost providential escape from the Manchester massacre.
She had parked her car about 7 mins away from the arena and left slightly early before Ariana Grande's 3rd last song to avoid the rush after the event concluded.
On the way out, she saw ambulances rushing in but couldn't tell why until they got home by 11pm and got the tragic news.They started walking out at about at 10:20pm and passed the foyer around 10:23pm- the exact spot where the blast took place. They hurried as the 3 hour parking ticket was running out and they had about an eight miles drive back to Altrincham.
Since the parking was two storeys underground, Pathak, who is originally from Jaipur, couldn't hear any explosion nor see any commotion. On the way out she did witness ambulances rushing in, but only realised what had actually happened when she reached home at 11pm and got the tragic news.
