A special church service has been held on the island of Barra for two local schoolgirls caught up in the Manchester bombing.

Laura MacIntyre, 15, and Eilidh MacLeod, 14, travelled more than 400 miles from the Outer Hebrides for the Ariana Grande concert on Monday night.

Their families made desperate appeals when the girls failed to get in touch after the explosion which left 22 dead and dozens injured.

Laura has since been found in hospital with serious injuries but there have been no updates on Eilidh.

Friends of the teenage girls at Castlebay Community School are being offered support as the island of Barra struggles to come to terms with the events.

A joint service involving the local Catholic priest and the Church of Scotland was organised on Wednesday night.

Held at Our Lady, Star of the Sea church in Castlebay both Rev Dr Lindsay Schluter and Father John Paul MacKinnon led the service.

Dr Schluter said: "This is a service of prayer for both families affected and the wider community - Barra and beyond.

"Individually people have prayed for the families and all affected, the need for people to come together to do this in support of each other is evident especially as we are still awaiting further news of both Laura and Eilidh."

Barra has a population of about 1,000 and the community has been rallying to offer support to the girls' families.

Eilidh's great-uncle Donald Manford told BBC Scotland: "The families are distraught with worry and concern.

"They're concerned for each other, they're concerned for their children and they support each other and just wait and hope and pray.

"The community have been absolutely wonderful, they've been overwhelming in their support and their appreciation and understanding. Their primary concern is for the family and the families' wellbeing."

The headteacher at Castlebay Community School said the incident has left everyone in shock.

"Our school and island community are in shock, feeling numb and struggling to come to terms with it," Annag Maclean said.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with Eilidh and Laura, their family and friends as they struggle to cope.

"As headteacher, I am confident that our school and our community will continue to support Eilidh and Laura's families.

"I have worked with my colleagues in the authority and other agencies to ensure that all necessary support is available to staff and pupils."

Bishop of Argyll and the Isles Brian McGee travelled to the island on Tuesday to visit the families of Eilidh and Laura.

He said: "This is a time of terrible anguish for the MacLeod and MacIntyre families.

"Spending time with the relatives of both girls was a reminder of the human cost of acts of terror.

"Such acts leave families broken, lives scarred and innocence destroyed, my thoughts and prayers are with the families at this traumatic time."

In the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon told MSPs that Police Scotland family liaison officers were providing support to the MacIntyre and MacLeod families.

Six other people were taken to hospitals in Scotland after returning home from the concert on Monday night.

Four of the patients were quickly discharged and two were kept in care overnight but their injuries are not life-threatening.