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"Las Vegas will work through this tragic incident": tourism leaders respond to shooting

As Syria mourns the loss of 3,000 people in a single month (the deadliest month for 2017), millions of Puerto Ricans live without electricity, Mexico rebuilds post-quake and Catalonians clash with Spaniards...

As Syria mourns the loss of 3,000 people in a single month (the deadliest month for 2017), millions of Puerto Ricans live without electricity, Mexico rebuilds post-quake and Catalonians clash with Spaniards…

… the United States experienced its own heartbreak over the weekend, when a shooter killed 58 people at an outdoor concert in Las Vegas.

Some 22,000 country music fans had gathered for the three-day Route 91 Harvest Festival at the Las Vegas Village and Festival Grounds when at around 10pm (local time), and at the start of singer Jason Aldean’s set, shots were fired at the crowd from the Mandalay Bay Hotel.

Rapid shots were initially mistaken for the sound of helicopters, until the crowd noticed “people dropping”. This sent festival attendees scampering from the location.

Survivors told media that bullets were fired in a continuous burst of around nine seconds, then followed by 37 seconds of silence before another round went off.

A witness told The Guardian that people attempted to hide from the rain of bullets behind police vehicles.

“People started screaming that they were hit and to get down and then about every 20 seconds after that you would hear a round of machine guns and people just dropping; I mean hundreds of bodies all over the ground.”

Megan Kearney, Survivor

Around 72 minutes after police were called, SWAT teams burst into a room on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel where they found the shooter, 64-year-old Stephen Paddock, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot.

Police said the incident was completely unrelated to terrorism and that Paddock had showed no previous signs of distress. The shooter’s brother also commented, saying he’s “completely dumbfounded” and stressed that Paddock was “not an avid gun guy at all”.

In total, at least 58 people were killed and another 500 were injured.

For the time being, the strip in Las Vegas is on lock down along with a number of hotels, which have a blockade of law enforcement. Click here for more information on the shooting.

In an email, Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority’s President & Chief Executive, Rossi Ralenkotter, said the shooting was a “horrific, yet isolated incident”.

He sent his thoughts and prayers to all the victims and their families and urged visitors to allow local law enforcement to conclude their investigation and attend to the needs of those involved.

“Las Vegas is a strong community that will work through this tragic incident.”

Rossi Ralenkotter, LVCVA President & Chief Executive

“We are grateful beyond words to our incomparable law enforcement, first responders and everyone who continues to help victims and their families.”

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