AGENCY
Orlando: Fifty people died and another 53 were injured when a gunman opened fire and seized hostages at a gay nightclub in Florida, police said on Sunday, making it the worst mass shooting in US history.
“We have cleared the building, and it is with great sadness that I share we have not 20 but 50 casualties in addition to the shooter,” Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer told a news briefing, raising the death toll from 20 previously.
“There are another 53 that are hospitalized”.
It was unclear whether all the victims were killed by the gunman or if some died in the ensuing shootout with police.
The attack coincides with gay pride month in the United States, with festive marches and events being held all over the country including in Orlando last week.
It was the second shooting incident in the city in just over 24 hours, coming shortly after singer Christina Grimmie was shot dead late Friday by a gunman who stormed a theater where she had just finished a gig.
Mina said there was no indication of a link between the two shootings.
Speaking to Sky News, clubber Ricardo Negron, who was inside when the shooting began, described how the gunman raked the club with bullets.
“People just dropped on the floor. I guess the shooter was shooting at the ceiling because you could see all the glass from the lamps falling,” he told the network. He described hearing “non-stop firing” which probably lasted less than a minute but felt like a lot longer.(AFP)
