Doctor fears US nightclub toll may rise

Doctors at an Orlando hospital treating victims of the nightclub massacre, say 27 patients remain there, with six still in intensive care.

Emergency personnel with stretchers at Orlando Regional Medical Center

Doctors fear the death toll from the nightclub shooting in Orlando may rise further. (AAP)

Doctors fear the death toll might rise further after the attack on the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, where a gunman killed 49 and left dozens injured in the worst US terrorist attack since September 11, 2001.

Some 27 patients remain in the Orlando Regional Medical Centre following the attack on Sunday, with six in the intensive care unit, Doctor Mike Cheatham said at a press conference on Tuesday detailing the chaotic scene at the hospital after a gunman opened fire in the gay nightclub.

The patients were "steadily improving", Cheatham said, but noted that doctors were continuing to operate on some and more could succumb to their injuries.

A team of trauma surgeons described patients arriving in "truckloads" and quickly assessing patients as they called in additional doctors.

At one point, the team ran out of operating supplies amid the high volume of patients.

The gunman appeared to have been self-radicalised from Islamist material online, US officials have said.


Share

1 min read

Published

Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world