Gay club attacked in US, several injured

A shooting rampage at an Orlando nightclub early on Sunday resulted in "mass casualties" and left a gunman dead, police said.

"We can confirm this is a mass casualty situation," Orlando police tweeted, then later: "Pulse Shooting: The shooter inside the club is dead."

It was not immediately clear how many people were injured, but Orlando police said there were "multiple injuries" in the violence inside the Pulse nightclub, Xinhua news agency reported.

Orlando Police said they carried out a controlled explosion.

According to media reports, at least 20 shots were heard inside the club.

More than 100 people were enjoying a Latin-themed night in the club when the shooter opened fire around 2.00 a.m. (local time).

"We heard rapid fire go off. In the room I was in, people went down to the floor. I wasn't able to see the shooter or people get hurt," an eyewitness said.

The incident comes as Orlando is reeling from the fatal shooting of 22-year-old singer Christina Grimmie following a concert on Friday night.

She was signing autographs when Grimmie was shot by Kevin James Loibl, 26, who then killed himself. It is not clear what Loibl's motive was.

--IANS

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