Forty-nine people killed in attack on gay nightclub - the worst mass shooting in recent US history
Suspect took hostages and died in gunfight with Swat officers
He is named as 29-year-old Omar Mateen, US national
Mateen investigated twice by FBI since 2013, but was not on active terrorism watch list
US President Obama says no evidence he was part of a larger plot
Image source, ReutersThere were 372 mass shootings in the US in 2015, killing 475 people and wounding 1,870, according to the Mass Shooting Tracker, which catalogues such incidents. A mass shooting is defined as a single shooting incident which kills or injures four or more people, including the assailant.
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The incident at the Pulse nightclub comes less than 48 hours after the shooting of singer Christina Grimmie, also in Orlando.
The 22-year-old - a former contestant on the US version of The Voice - was shot while signing autographs after a concert in the city on Friday night, and died in hospital.
The assailant shot and killed himself.
Image source, APTwitter user @GoEmili0, external tweeted earlier that he and three others were hiding in a dressing room in the club during the shooting. He later tweeted that he was safely out of the venue.
He has since deleted the tweets.
Image source, @GoEmili0Stewart Moore, external, a reporter for local TV station WESH Orlando, external, heard about the shooting from a police source and was among the first to tweet about it.
Mr Moore has since moved to a nearby hospital where the injured are being taken.
The Pulse club, which bills itself as one of the city's premier nightspots, has promised to update everyone "as soon as we have any information".
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Orlando nightclub attack: 'They're shooting back and forth'
Eyewitness Anthony Torres fled the scene and filmed as he watched people shooting "back and forth".
Orlando police say the gunman believed to be responsible for the shootings at the Pulse nightclub is dead.
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Orlando police have confirmed there have been "mass casualties" as a result of the shooting in Orlando.
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Multiple emergency vehicles have reportedly responded to the incident, with the Orlando Fire Department's bomb squad and hazardous material team in attendance at the scene.
Local police confirmed they have carried out a controlled explosion - but no further details have been given so far.
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One eyewitness, Ricardo Almodovar, wrote about the shooting on the club's Facebook page, external.
Quote MessageI was there. Shooter opened fire @ around 2:00am. People on the dance floor and bar got down on the floor and some of us who were near the bar and back exit managed to go out through the outdoor area and just ran. I am safely home and hoping everyone gets home safely as well :(
Images from outside Orlando's Pulse nightclub show emergency services treating casualties, and a reveller covered in blood.
Image source, EPA
Image source, EPA
Image source, EPAOrlando Police issued their own tweet following the incident in the early hours of Sunday morning.
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Reports suggest at least twenty people have been injured and the gunman has taken hostages.
Image source, FacebookThe shooting took place at Pulse, a gay club which was holding a Latin-themed party, at about 02:00 local time (06:00 GMT).
The club told people to exit the premises on its Facebook page, external.
We are bringing you live updates from a shooting in the US city of Orlando, where an attacker is reported to have opened fire inside a gay nightclub and taken hostages. Orlando police say there have been multiple injuries.
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