- At least 59 killed, 527 injured
- Over 40 weapons discovered in hotel room and gunman's home
- President Trump to visit Las Vegas on Wednesday
At least 59 people have been killed and another 527 injured after a gunman opened fire at an open-air music festival in Las Vegas on Sunday.
The shooting began at 10:08 p.m. local time, and the gunman appeared to fire unhindered for more than 10 minutes, according to radio traffic.
People wait in a medical staging area after a mass shooting during a music festival in Las Vegas, Nevada, US, October 2, 2017. /Reuters Photo
The barrage of gunfire from the 32nd-floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel into a crowd of 22,000 people came in extended bursts that lasted several minutes, sparking panic as throngs of music fans desperately cowered on the open ground, hemmed in by fellow concertgoers, while others at the edge tried to flee.
In an address to the country, President Donald Trump called the bloodbath “an act of pure evil” and added: “In moments of tragedy and horror, America comes together as one. And it always has.” He ordered flags flown at half-mast.
Trump said he would travel to Las Vegas on Wednesday to meet with victims and their relatives in the worst mass shooting in modern US history.
US President Donald Trump stands with first lady Melania Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and his wife Karen (R) during a moment of silence in the wake of the the mass shooting in Las Vegas at the White House in Washington, US, October 2, 2017. /Reuters Photo
Who is the gunman?
Police identified the gunman as Stephen Paddock, 64, who lived in a retirement community in Mesquite, Nevada.
Police say they discovered a total of 42 weapons belonging to Paddock, who killed himself before police entered the hotel room. A total of 23 weapons were found from the hotel room and 19 others from his home, according to the police.
Some were automatic weapons or semi-automatic rifles illegally modified into machine guns.
The FBI said it found nothing so far to suggest the attack was connected to international terrorism, despite the ISIL claimed responsibility for the massacre.
What did witnesses and medical workers say?
"It seems like it goes on forever," said Rachel Dekerf who attended the concert when the gunfire happened.
She recalled the moments, saying "The first thing we heard was a big pop noise, almost like glass breaking, like someone had dropped a glass bottle behind us.”
"It was like a war zone," said Coates, one of two senior surgeons who worked Sunday night duty at the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada. "We were just trying to keep people from dying," he said.
Coates said that by the time he reached the center there were already more than 70 medical staff at work, and eight or nine surgeons helped evaluate patients who were in need of urgent surgery.
The most critically wounded sometimes had up to 20 people around their bed working on them.
