las vegas shooting
Las Vegas Metro Police officers gather near the intersection of Tropicana Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard South after a mass shooting at a music festival on the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. early October 2, 2017. Reuters/Las Vegas Sun/Steve Marcus

No Australians have been identified among almost 600 victims of the Las Vegas shooting massacre. This was confirmed by Foreign Minister Julie Bishop. Meanwhile, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said the incident is a reminder to constantly work to stay ahead of the threat.

Bishop said no Australians were found among the dead or injured, assuring that she would be updated if any were found to have been caught up in the mass shooting incident as inquiries are ongoing. "The consul general has confirmed there are no Australian victims but we are still making inquiries,” the foreign minister said.

Bishop also said the Department of Foreign Affairs got 150 calls from people trying to locate their family members and friends. US police, she noted, are still to identify three people killed on Sunday (Monday AEDT) after a shooter fired at a music festival crowd. She told reporters in Sydney on Wednesday that a number of Australians were present at the scene, but none have been directly affected as victims or amongst the injured.

Bishop offered sympathies to the families of victims and the people of the United States. The death count for the shooting, said to be the worst in US modern history, has reached 60. A total of 527 are injured. Bishop said she had been in touch with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to extend Australia's condolences and revealed that US authorities had been in contact with the Department of Foreign Affairs regarding Marilou Danley.

Turnbull said the mass shooting in Las Vegas was a reminder that there was no place for "set and forget" in national security. "This is a reminder that we must constantly work to stay ahead of the threat, whatever the motives of threat, whatever the motives of those who seek to do us harm," he said Tuesday, according to Sydney Morning Herald.

Turnbull said he would discuss how to further strengthen and harmonise against the threat of terrorism in a special summit of state and territory leaders this week. He also offered prayers to the people of the United States. The Australian leader had praised former Prime Minister John Howard for strict gun laws.

Bill Shorten said Labor will work with the government on national security. He believes the best thing to do is fight to keep gun laws as strong as they can possibly be.

ABC News/YouTube

RELATED STORIES