At least two people reported dead and 24 injured at shooting in Las Vegas

David Becker | Getty Images

Las Vegas police stand guard along the streets outside the festival grounds of the Route 91 Harvest on October 1, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. There are reports of an active shooter around the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.

Police are investigating reports of an active shooter near the Mandalay Bay Casino in Las Vegas, officials said late on Sunday.

In a tweet, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) told people to avoid heading to the south end of the Strip. It said Las Vegas Boulevard is shut down at Tropicana, southbound past Russell Road.

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Flights were being held in and out of Las Vegas McCarran International Airport, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said. McCarran airport tweeted that some flights were diverted.

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The Route 91 Harvest country music festival was taking place across the road from Mandalay Bay, which is near McCarran on the south side of the Strip. It was here that the gunman opened fire.

Jon Bessett, one of the attendees at the concert, described the scenes as “pandemonium.” He told NBC News that around 10 p.m. local time, he heard gunshots but the band continued playing. Further gunshots followed and the band ran off stage.

“Everyone was running, people were getting trampled,” Bessett said. He then ran out over to the Luxor hotel nearby but still had friends at the concert.

“We ran as quick as we could into hotel and tried to get on the elevator but couldn’t get in. Everyone was running for safety,” Bessett told NBC.

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Mandalay Bay was on lockdown, according to one social media user.