blacksburg, virginia (ap)

A gunman massacred at least 32 people at Virginia Tech in the deadliest shooting rampage in modern U.S. history, cutting down his victims in two attacks two hours and a half-mile (0.8 kilometres) apart before the university could figure out what was going on and get the warning out to students.

The bloodbath yesterday ended with the gunman committing suicide, bringing the death toll to 33 and stamping the campus in the picturesque Blue Ridge Mountains with tragedy, perhaps forever.

"I'm really at a loss for words to explain or understand the carnage that has visited our campus," Virginia Tech President Charles Steger said.

Difficult questions

He was also faced with difficult questions about the university's handling of the emergency and whether it did enough to warn students and protect them after the first burst of gunfire.

Investigators offered no motive for the attack. The gunman's name was not immediately released, and it was not known if he was a student.

Wielding two pistols, the gunman opened fire about 7:15 a.m. at West Ambler Johnston, a co-ed dormitory, then stormed Norris Hall, a classroom building on the other side of the 2,600-acre campus, chaining the doors behind him to keep anyone from escaping.

Two people died in a dorm room, and 30 others were killed in Norris Hall, including the gunman, who put a bullet in his head. At least 26 people were hurt, some seriously.