The China Mail - 'Bodies on the ground': mass shooting shocks Sweden's Orebro

"I was standing there, watching what was happening, and I was just around here when I saw some bodies lying on the ground. I don't know if they were dead or injured," the 16-year-old, who goes to school near the site of the massacre, told AFP.

With her friend, she lit a few candles in the shape of a cross across the street from the adult education centre where around 10 people -- including the gunman -- lost their lives.

"There was blood everywhere, people were panicking and crying, parents were worried... it was chaos," she added, her voice trembling.

"You would never think something like this would happen here in Sweden, especially in Orebro," said Linn, who has several friends who attend a school next to Campus Risbergska, where the shooting happened.

Around the perimeter set up by the police, anxious parents waited for the all-clear to collect their children, eyes anxiously glued to their phones.

One father came out, walking briskly, with his two children wrapped up in pink down jackets. "I'm far too stressed to answer any questions," he told AFP as he crossed the street.

- 'Crazy, totally crazy' -

Another parent, 42-year-old Cia Sandell, could not hold back her rage.

"This is crazy, totally crazy. I'm angry, I'm shocked. This shouldn't happen," she said.

Asked about her son, she expressed relief.

"He's fine and so is everyone at his school. I'm grateful for that," she says.

All residents interviewed by AFP repeated the question: How could their town, which was so peaceful, have experienced something like this?

Just a few streets down from the scene of the crime, the Haga church has opened its doors to residents who need to talk, find support or simply enjoy a warm cup of coffee and a cinnamon roll.

Pastor Anna Lena Evehall welcomed several people throughout the day.

They were "very upset and worried because some of them tried to call their relatives in the school and they didn't answer", Evehall told AFP.

"Some of them didn't even sit down, they just stood up, walked around because they were so worried," she added.

The church will keep its doors open in the coming days, with the support of the local council and social services, as the residents of Orebro try to make sense of the massacre.

"It's hard, and it's going to stay with me," teenager Linn said.

"No one should have to live in such fear, locked in a classroom, not knowing whether their friends are injured or still alive."

D.Wang--ThChM