A teenage gunman killed at least 19 children and two adults at a Texas elementary school on Tuesday.
Shots were heard at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, 85 miles west of San Antonio, around 11.30am local time (5.30pm BST).
It is America’s deadliest school shooting since 20 children and six adults died at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, in late 2012.
The shocking incident has prompted new calls for gun control by US president Joe Biden.
In an emotional address to his nation from the White House, Mr Biden pleaded for action to curb gun violence after years of failure – and blamed firearms manufacturers and their supporters for blocking legislation in Washington.
He said: “When in God’s name are we going to stand up to the gun lobby? Why are we willing to live with this carnage? Why do we keep letting this happen?”
The gunman - named as 18-year-old Salvador Ramos by officials - was shot by officers responding to the massacre.
Texas governor Greg Abbott said one of the two adults killed by the gunman was a teacher.
Many of the wounded were rushed to Uvalde Memorial Hospital, where staff members in scrubs and devastated victims’ relatives could be seen weeping as they walked out of the complex.
It is not immediately clear how many people were wounded, but Uvalde Police chief Pete Arredondo said there were “several injuries”.
Earlier, Uvalde Memorial Hospital said 13 children were taken there. Another hospital reported a 66-year-old woman was in critical condition.
“These kinds of mass shootings rarely happen anywhere else in the world – why?” Mr Biden asked in the White House.
The president reflected that while other nations have people filled with hate or with mental health issues, no other industrialised nation experiences gun violence at the level of the US.
“The idea that an 18-year-old kid can walk into a gun store and buy two assault weapons is just wrong,” Mr Biden said, adding: “I’d hoped when I became president I would not have to do this, again.”
The teenage gunman had hinted on social media that an attack could be coming, according to state senator Roland Gutierrez, who said he had been briefed by state police.
He noted that Ramos “suggested the kids should watch out”, and that he had bought two “assault weapons” after turning 18.
Before heading to the school, Ramos shot his grandmother, Mr Gutierrez said. Other officials said later that the grandmother survived and was being treated, through her condition was not known.
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