The gunman behind this terrorist attack that killed 50 people at an LGBT nightclub - Pulse - in Orlando is believed to be Omar Mateen, a 29-year-old US citizen of Afghan-origin.
Omar is alleged to have opened fire in the early hours of Sunday, killing and taking many hostages.
The staff of Pulse posted a warning on Facebook - “Everyone get out of pulse and keep running”.
Mayor Buddy Dyer told Wesh-TV - “It’s a tragedy of unimaginable proportions. My heart goes out to the victims, their families. But we’re a strong resilient community.”
Michael Cheatham, a surgeon with Orlando Health, told the press briefing that local hospitals had implemented the “mass casualty plan” after the shooting and spent the morning operating on a number of victims, “many of them critically ill as a result of their injuries”.
Orlando police confirmed that the shooting was being treated as an “act of domestic terrorism”.
Police have set up a hotline for family members who believe their loved ones might have been caught up in the attacks.
Police are still trying to identify all victims at the night club and hospital.
In a press conference on Sunday morning, an FBI spokesman said investigators believed the attacker may have had extremist beliefs, and would consider possible links to Isis, but cautioned they were pursuing multiple leads.
The Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-FL) is calling on the Muslim community to take part in a blood donation drive for those injured in the attack.
"We know enough to say this was an act of terror, an act of hate," Obama said in a speech from the White House. "And as Americans, we are united in grief, in outrage and in resolve to defend our people."
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