Witnesses describe blast of gunfire which sounded like fireworks

What sounded at first to some concertgoers like the pop of fireworks was in fact a deadly blast of gunfire which brought chaos to a country music gig.

Eyewitnesses described their horror as people fled the Jason Aldean show in Las Vegas, which had been attended by a crowd of 22,000 people.

The world-famous Las Vegas strip became a scene of carnage on Sunday night, as victims lay bloodied on the ground and others sat in shock surrounded by a heavy police presence.

Another image showed a victim moved along in what appeared to be a wheelbarrow.

Kodiak Yazzie said the first volley of shots stopped the music temporarily, and a second caused those on stage to run for cover.

The 36-year-old said: “It was the craziest stuff I’ve ever seen in my entire life.

“You could hear that the noise was coming from west of us, from Mandalay Bay. You could see a flash, flash, flash, flash.”

Ivetta Saldana described the scene as “a horror show”, the Las Vegas Review Journal reported.

She said: “People were standing around, then they hit the floor.”

Robyn Webb from Orange County told the journal the gunfire was “relentless” and said they saw up to 20 people lying in the street bleeding.

Monique Dumas from British Columbia, Canada, said the gunfire, which she at first thought may have been fireworks, lasted four to five minutes.

British tennis star Laura Robson, who had been at the concert but was not injured, said the experience was “scary” and described the gunfire as having “sounded like fireworks at first then everyone started running”.

Aldean, who confirmed neither he nor his crew were hurt in the attack, said he was heartbroken by what happened.

Posting on Instagram he wrote: “It hurts my heart that this would happen to anyone who was just coming out to enjoy what should have been a fun night.”

Tony Richardson from Manchester said the Strip was “eerily quiet” when he emerged after more than three hours on lockdown at Caesars Palace.

He told the BBC there was “pandemonium” as he and others, including children, were told to stay inside the building.

After leaving the casino area of the hotel he said: “The Strip was empty, I have never seen it like that before. It was eerily quiet.”

England bowler Tom Curran tweeted: “Craziest experience last night in Vegas. So so sad but we are all okay! Praying for everyone affected.”

Fellow cricketers Jade Dernbach and Stuart Meaker also posted online to say they were also in the city and safe.