MASSACRE AT KIDS' CAMP: More than 30 feared dead as terrorist opens fire at Norwegian summer camp and car bomb devastates Oslo

By MAIL FOREIGN SERVICE

Escape: This footage apparently shows three people swimming away from the island of Utoya which was targeted by a gunman


Teenagers on the Norwegian holiday island of Utoya had to 'swim for their lives' and hide in trees when a gunman fired indiscriminately at them.

Around 700 had gathered on the island for a meeting of the youth wing of the ruling Labour party.

Witnesses said the man in police uniform who opened fire beckoned several young people over before shooting at them. He told them to 'come here'.


Crime scene: The white van was believed to have been driven onto the island of Utoya by the gunman who then opened fire on groups of children attending a summer camp


Other witnesses said they heard him saying: 'This is just the beginning.'

It came as Norway succumbed to a double attack in what is being described as the worst atrocity it has faced since the Second World War.

Terrorists are believed to be responsible for a massive car blast at a government office block in the capital Oslo which took place earlier on in the day.


Camp: A number of children were gunned down in the attack on Utoya island


One teenager who was caught up in the island attack said: 'Suddenly, we heard lots of shooting. People had to run and hide. We have been told to get off the island.'

A party official said: 'There has been a shootout. Many people are shot. Based on what I have seen, at least four people are shot and killed. Now it’s complete panic and we swim off to get to safety.'

Bjorn Jarle Røberg-Larsen, of the Labour party, spoke to young people on Utoya by phone.

'They say that at least one person wearing a police-like uniform was firing shots with a handgun,' he said.

He said the people he spoke to were hiding and dared not speak on the phone any more for fear of being discovered.

'Young people have to swim in panic, and it is far to the mainland from Utoya,' he said. 'Others are hiding. Those I spoke with were terrified.'


Targeted: Hundreds of children were at a summer camp, which is held every year (as pictured here) on the island of Utoya


A Twitter user going by the name zhalli1 posted a message on the website saying: 'I'm safe. We've hidden in a tree. One of us is shot twice in the foot.'

Police stormtroopers landed on the island by helicopter as the shooting continued and sealed off the area but ambulances were unable to reach the scene immediately.

Fredrik Walløe, a London-based Norwegian journalist, tweeted: 'A Sea King helicopter carrying medics has reached the island, but can't land because of continued gunfire.'

Locals were urged to help those fleeing the island.


Trick: A man dressed as a policeman opened fire on children at a summer camp (pictured) on the island of Utoya


An aerial view of Utoya Island where the second attack took place today


Devastating: Paramedics and civilians help the injured in nearby shops after the Oslo bomb blast


Utter devastation in the centre of the Norwegian capital Oslo as victims are treated in the streets strewn with debris


Wrecked: The blast in Oslo was outside a government office


Smoke billows from a 17-storey government building after a powerful explosion rocked central Oslo


The wreckage of a car lies outside government buildings in the centre of Oslo. Police have confirmed the blast was caused by a bomb


Devastation: More rescue workers pick their way through the wreckage to rescue victims


Fortunately, it is a public holiday in Norway and the offices are less busy than a normal weekday


source: dailymail