A gunman has massacred 32 people before turning the gun on himself at Virginia Tech university in the eastern United States - the worst shooting rampage in US history [Reuters]



The first wave of shootings began in a college dormitory where two people were killed. Two hours later a second, deadlier attack took place in Norris hall, a classroom building on the other side of campus [Reuters]



Students and faculty members carried out some of the wounded themselves, without waiting for ambulances to arrive. Several said doors to Norris hall had been chained, apparently by the shooter [AP/The Roanoke Times]



As the shooting unfolded police commando teams with helmets, bullet-proof jackets and assault rifles swarmed over the campus [AP]



Some students said the only warning they had seen was in the form of an email, sent more than two hours after the first attack, by which time the second wave of shootings at Norris hall had already begun [AP]



The time lag between the two waves of shootings and the ineffectiveness of warnings has raised questions about the authorities' response [GALLO/GETTY]



One student who was in a German class in Norris hall described how the shooter entered the classroom and shot their professor in the head. He said the gunman was about 19 years old and had a "very serious but very calm look on his face" [Reuters]



After a day of tragedy on campus Virginia Tech students gathered for a candle-lit vigil on Monday evening [AFP]



Charles Steger, the president of Virginia Tech, described the shooting as a tragedy "of monumental proportions" [AFP]


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