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Several explosives and an armoured vehicle were used to break through a wall of the nightclub and rescue approximately 30 hostages. A shooting and hostage situation early Sunday at a Florida nightclub - which describes itself as 'Orlando's hottest gay bar' - left an estimated 50 people dead, including the. Our biggest concern was future loss of life,” said John Mina, the chief of police. We were being contacted by people in the bathroom, about 15 people. “A little after 0500 hours we made a decision to go in and conduct a rescue. The shooters use of religion to justify massacring people who were gathered to celebrate and relax at a gay bar in Orlando, FL, has led many around the world to equate Islam with an intolerance. The situation was resolved three hours later when a Swat team stormed the nightclub after receiving messages from club patrons who were hiding in the club while the gunman was still at large. They said it then descended into a hostage situation. On June 12, 2016, Omar Mateen, a 29-year-old man, killed 49 people and wounded 53 more in a mass shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, United States.Orlando Police officers shot and killed him after a three-hour standoff. Police said the incident began at 2am when the gunman started firing and an officer on duty at the club exchanged shots with him.
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The explosion caused some panic on the ground, which led to Orlando police tweeting to say it had been a “controlled explosion” and warning the media about reporting inaccuracies. 5Di2mc6XUY- Orlando Police June 12, 2016Īn explosion was heard at the club at about 5am local time, which police said was a “distractionary device” used as part of the rescue mission to get to the hostages.