Death toll from Florida mass shooting rises to 50

A gunman armed with an assault rifle killed 50 people at a crowded nightclub in Orlando, Florida on Sunday, the worst mass shooting in US history.

About 53 other people were injured in the shooting, which took place after midnight in the Pulse Club.

The gunman, identified by US media as an alleged Daesh sympathizer named Omar Mateen, took hostages at the club and barricaded himself in the complex but was later killed by specially trained SWAT units.

"It appears he was organized and well-prepared," Orlando Police Chief John Mina said, adding that the assailant had an assault-type weapon and a handgun.

Authorities described the attack as a domestic act of terrorism. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is also involved in the case.

According the White House, President Barack Obama was filled in on the shooting and would later on deliver a statement.

"The President asked to receive regular updates as the FBI, and other federal officials, work with the Orlando Police to gather more information, and directed that the federal government provide any assistance necessary to pursue the investigation and support the community," White House press secretary Josh Earnest said.

A paramedic said the casualties will rise as more people are being brought out of the club.

A man, who had earlier been inside the club, described a situation as chaotic, as the number of casualties became apparent.

“There were just bodies everywhere,” he said. “In the parking lot, they were tagging them - red, yellow - so they knew who to help first and who not help first… Just blood everywhere.”

More than 100 people were said to have been in the nightclub when the shooter opened fire at around 2:00 am local time (0600 GMT).

"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,” one witness said.

Video footage showed a high police presence around the club, accompanied by bomb sniffing dogs. Residents were warned by police to steer clear of the area.

Assailant linked to Daesh

The top Democrat on a congressional intelligence committee said local law enforcement believed the suspect in Sunday's deadly Orlando shooting had pledged allegiance to the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group.

"The fact that this shooting took place during Ramadan and that ISIS (Daesh) leadership in Raqqah has been urging attacks during this time, that the target was an LGBT night club during Pride, and - if accurate - that according to local law enforcement the shooter declared his allegiance to ISIS, indicates an ISIS-inspired act of terrorism," Representative Adam Schiff said in a statement, using another acronym for the group.

The lawmaker's claim came after US officials said on Sunday that they had no immediate evidence of any direct connection between the shooting and the terror group or any other foreign extremist group.

The officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, also said they had yet to uncover any contacts between the suspected gunman and any extremist group.

US officials react to Orlando shooting

US presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, who has made a reputation for his Islamophobic remarks, also took to his Twitter account after the shooting, saying that the incident proved him right "on radical Islamic terrorism."

Democratic Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania called on Congress to take action on gun violence and "ban military-style weapons."

Speaking on NBC's "Meet the Press,” Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders said "It's horrific, it's unthinkable and just hopes go out to all those who were shot that they can recover.”

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton tweeted: "Woke up to hear the devastating news from FL. As we wait for more information, my thoughts are with those affected by this horrific act."

Pope Francis also expressed deep 'horror and condemnation' of 'homicidal folly' in Florida’s mass shooting.

According to the Mass Shooting Tracker, a total of 372 mass shootings - defined as a single incident that kills or injures four or more people – occurred in the US last year, killing 475 people and wounding 1,870 more.

The Sunday shooting came just only two days after a gunman fatally shot singer Christina Grimmie during a live event at the Plaza Live Theater in Orlando, before ending his own life.

Daesh claims responsibility

The gunman, identified by US media as an alleged Daesh sympathizer named Omar Mateen, took hostages at the club and barricaded himself in the complex but was later killed by specially trained SWAT units.

The terror group later on claimed responsibility for the attacks, according to media outlets affiliated with the terror group.

Mateen allegedly called 911 moments before the attack, pledging allegiance to the terror group, the Lost Angeles Times reported, citing a federal law enforcement official.

Earlier on Sunday, Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on a congressional intelligence committee had said that local law enforcement believed the suspect in Sunday's deadly Orlando shooting had pledged allegiance to the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group.

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