In Pictures

Photos: Pain and anguish after bloody Texas school shooting

The country has seen 212 mass shootings so far this year, according to a tally by the Gun Violence Archive.

A girl cries, comforted by two adults, outside the Willie de Leon Civic Center where grief counseling will be offered in Uvalde — The attack began about 11:30am, when the gunman crashed his car outside the school and ran into the building. [Allison dinner/AFP]

An 18-year-old gunman has opened fire at an elementary school in the US state of Texas, killing at least 19 children and two teachers as he went from classroom to classroom, before being shot dead by police.

The assault at Robb Elementary School in the small town of Uvalde was the deadliest shooting at a school in the United States since a gunman killed 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, in December 2012.

Hours after the attack, families were still awaiting word from their children.

Outside the town civic centre, where relatives were told to await news about their loved ones, the silence was broken repeatedly by screams and wailing. “No! Please, no!” one man yelled as he embraced another man.

“My heart is broken today,” said Hal Harrell, the school district superintendent. “We’re a small community, and we’re going to need your prayers to get through this.”

Adolfo Cruz, a 69-year-old air-conditioning repairman, was still outside the school at sunset, seeking word on his 10-year-old great-granddaughter, Eliajha Cruz Torres.

He drove to the scene after receiving a terrifying call from his daughter shortly after the first reports of the shooting. He said other relatives were at the hospital and the civic centre.

Waiting, he said, was the heaviest moment of his life.

“I hope she is alive,” Cruz said.

The attack came just 10 days after a deadly, racist rampage at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York that added to a yearslong series of mass killings at churches, schools and stores.

In an address to the nation hours after the Texas school attack, President Joe Biden made an emotional appeal calling for new gun restrictions.

“As a nation, we have to ask, when in God’s name are we going to stand up to the gun lobby? When in God’s name are we going to do what has to be done?” Biden asked. “Why are we willing to live with this carnage?”

Law enforcement personnel stand outside Robb Elementary School following a shooting — The tragedy in Uvalde was the deadliest school shooting in the history of Texas. [Dario Lopez-Mills/AP Photo]

People react outside the Ssgt Willie de Leon Civic Center — Home to about 16,000 people, Uvalde is about 120km (75 miles) from the border with Mexico. [Marco Bello/Reuters]

Law enforcement work the scene after a mass shooting at Robb Elementary School — The shooting came days before the National Rifle Association annual convention was set to begin in Houston. [Jordan Vonderhaar/Getty Images/AFP]

A woman cries and hugs a young girl — The attack came as Robb Elementary School was counting down to the last days of the school year with a series of themed days. Tuesday was to be 'Footloose and Fancy,' with students wearing nice outfits and shoes. [Allison dinner/AFP]

Emergency personnel gather near Robb Elementary School following a shooting — Many of the wounded were rushed to Uvalde Memorial Hospital, where staff members and relatives of the victims could be seen weeping as they walked out of the complex. [Dario Lopez-Mills/AP Photo]

People become emotional at the City of Uvalde Town Square during a prayer vigil — Officials did not immediately reveal a motive, but they identified the gunman as Salvador Ramos, a resident of the community. Law enforcement officials said he acted alone. [Jordan Vonderhaar/Getty Images/AFP]

Families gather and hug outside the Willie de Leon Civic Center where grief counseling will be offered in Uvalde — It was the worst school shooting in the US since Adam Lanza killed 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, in late 2012. [Allison dinner/AFP]