THORBJOERN Vereive said the killer had been armed with a handgun and "something that looked like a rifle". "When I swam out into the water he shot all my friends," he said. "He shot them when they were running away. I hid in a cave and had to lie in the water."
The US, European Union, Nato and the UK all condemned the attacks, while Home Secretary Theresa May said British police were ready to help detectives in Norway."I heard screams. I heard people begging for their lives and I heard shots," he said. "He just blew them away. I was certain I was going to die. I saw about 20 people come towards him and he shot them at close range."The blast in Oslo left a square covered in twisted metal and shattered glass. Ian Dutton, who was visiting from New York and staying in a nearby hotel, said the dust-clogged aftermath was reminiscent of the September 11 attacks.Police chief Sveinung Sponheim said there were still bodies and body parts in buildings damaged by the Oslo explosion in Oslo, which was caused by a car bomb. However, the buildings were too dangerous to search and there were still undetonated explosives inside.She said: "I made clear ... that we will help in any way we can. In particular I offered police assistance, which we stand ready to provide, should Norway request it."Eyewitness reports told how a methodical massacre took place after a man dressed as a policeman arrived under the guise of informing the organisers about the bomb attack.Dana Berzingi, 21, described how several people had pretended they were dead in a bid to escape the gunman. After shooting the victims with one gun, the killer shot them again in the head, he said.Another survivor, Adrian Pracon, who was working in the information booth on the island, said: "People were falling dead right in front of me. The gunman was very sure, calm and controlled. He looked like he knew what he was doing. He screamed at us that we would all die."One man was detained outside a hotel, where families were waiting to identify the bodies of victims, after being found to be carrying a knife. He said he was carrying it because he did not feel safe.Erik Kursetgjerde, 18, a Labour Party youth member, said the killer had called people to him, telling them he was there to help, before shooting them at close range.The chilling details of how the island summer youth camp was "transformed into hell" by Friday's gun massacre began to emerge yesterday."Also, we will want to make sure that we learn, like others, any lessons there are to learn about how to be more secure against horrific outrages like this."A 15-year-old camper, whose names was given only as Elise, said she had believed she was safe when she saw a police officer, but he then started shooting people.However, police are investigating witness accounts that a second person could have been involved in the shooting attack on Utoeya island.Vereive, 26, was one of the lucky ones. At least 85 of the other young people at the Utoeya island Labour Party youth camp were killed when a man opened fire on them on Friday afternoon.Norway's royal family and prime minister led the nation in mourning, visiting relatives of the teenagers who were gunned down in the town of Sundvollen, near the island.Just hours earlier, seven people had been killed when a bomb blast rocked Oslo city centre. A 32-year-old Norwegian, named as Anders Behring Breivik, has been charged over both attacks.Stoltenberg said he had spent every summer since 1974 on Utoeya, but that his childhood paradise had been "transformed into hell" by the attack.The Queen wrote to King Harald of Norway to say she was "deeply saddened and shocked by the tragic loss of life", and voiced her "heartfelt sympathy"."This is beyond comprehension. It's a nightmare," he said. "It's a nightmare for those who have been killed, for their mothers and fathers, family and friends."In a sign of the terror that has gripped the usually placid country, the army yesterday patrolled the streets of its capital.Around two hours later, reports emerged of a gunman shooting at teenagers at a retreat for the Labour Party's youth wing on Utoeya island, about 20 miles northwest of the capital.She escaped by hiding behind the rock the killer was standing on."I saw many dead people," she said. "He first shot people on the island. Afterward he started shooting people in the water."The killing spree lasted for an hour and a half, during which time the gunman, dressed as a policeman and armed with automatic weapons and handguns, urged unsuspecting victims to gather round him before shooting them at point-blank range. He eventually surrendered without a fight to a Swat team, which had taken 45 minutes to reach the scene.Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg said the twin attacks had resulted in peacetime Norway's deadliest day.Panicked teenagers plunged into the water to try to swim away or played dead to avoid the gunman.But one official said it was more akin to "Norway's Oklahoma City", in reference to the suspected link to a domestic far-right terrorist.Police fear the total death toll could rise to 98, with some people still missing from the island, where about 600 young people had been gathered. Searches were yesterday still taking place in the area and around its coast.When asked whether all the victims died from gunshot wounds or if some had drowned, foreign minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said it was likely to be "a combination"."I lost several friends," he added.The carnage began on Friday afternoon when a bomb rocked the heart of Oslo, killing seven people and injuring dozens more."There were people hiding in the cave and he tried to lure people out by saying, 'It's safe, come out. He picked them out, one by one. He was mostly silent. It looked like it didn't bother him," Vereive added.
"Also, we will want to make sure that we learn, like others, any lessons there are to learn about how to be more secure against horrific outrages like this."
