UPDATED VERSION. Mechanical engineering Ph.D student Brendan Chan emailed Screenshots at 04:29hr this morning to inform everyone that all Malaysian students in Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, are OK.
Last night (07:15am US EST, Malaysia is 12 hours ahead of EST), a gunman opened fire in a Virginia Tech dorm and then, two hours later, shot up a classroom building across campus, killing 32 people in the deadliest shooting rampage in U.S. history.
The gunman committed suicide, bringing the death toll to 33.
Disquiet in campus... Pictures courtesy Brendan Chan, Virginia Tech
In a statement on the Virginia Tech website, the university said the campus will remain closed Tuesday and classes are cancelled. University President Charles W. Steger's statement is available here, and a podcast here.
Virginia Tech campus is 2,600-acre wide with a student population of 26,000 supported by some 10,000 staff members.
Early information made available to Screenshots indicates that there are five Malaysian post-graduate students in Virginia Tech, one with a family. All are safe and sound.
"The 31 killings took place at Norris Hall, the building that is adjacent to the building where my office is, Randolph Hall," Brendan says in his early email to Screenshots.
"It was a tense moment as we were asking people if they want to take shelter and hide out in our offices, as well as waiting for the news from the university officials," adds Brendan in subsequent email exchanges with Screenshots.
"It is sad that the victims were killed in the incident, and our hearts goes out to the victims and their friends and families."
Virginia Tech and Blacksburg Electronic Village are the main models that inspired me to found community portal USJ.com.my in 1999.
UPDATES:
( 1 ) CNN live coverage accounts student reports as saying the killer was "a tall Asian-looking male".
( 2 ) Brendan, who is also a Moderator of ReCom.org, the Worldwide Malaysian Students Network, says Harian Metro's report by Abdullah Wahab was a tad exaggerating.