Norway's worst terrorist outrage was signalled by a double explosion that shook the centre of Oslo in the middle of the afternoon. Within three hours it had become clear that the blasts were just the beginning of what was to become one of the nation's darkest days.
As police and emergency workers concentrated on the devastation in the capital, a gunman disguised as a policeman was making his way to a tiny, undefended island on a nearby lake intent on killing students at a Labour party summer camp.
By Friday night, more than 30 people were feared dead and dozens more were being treated for injuries.
Victims receive emergency treatment outside government buildings in the center of Oslo. Photo: AP
The carnage began at 3.26pm (11.26pm EST) when a large car bomb, left outside Oslo's main government building, exploded with devastating effect, shattering almost every window in the 17-storey block in Youngstorget, one of the city's main squares.
Several people are thought to have been killed by the force of the blast, with many others injured and possibly killed as glass rained down on pedestrians who had been thrown to the ground.
The shock wave was so great that windows in almost every building within half a mile of the blast site were also blown out.
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Norway's twin massacre horrors
Medics tend to people injured in an explosion in central Oslo city.
One witness, who gave his name as Sylvio, said he had arrived on the scene less than three minutes after the initial blast. He said: "I saw people being brought out of buildings unconscious and people lying unconscious on the floor. They could have been dead or alive, I just don't know."
Anne Marte Blindheim, a journalist, described the scene as "like a war zone".
"It does not look like something you see in Norway. The entire high-rise building and all windows are completely destroyed. There is blood and papers everywhere and smashed cars. A car lies on its side, completely burned out."
Government workers suspected the attack was aimed at the Norwegian prime minister, Jens Stoltenberg, whose office in the targeted building was badly damaged in the blast.
He was working elsewhere at the time and quickly issued a statement confirming he was unharmed.
As emergency crews began arriving at the scene a second explosion was triggered on the upper floors of an office building opposite the bomb site.
Last night it was still unclear whether the second blast was caused by a bomb or by structural damage, but on the ground it caused immediate fears that more bombs lay undiscovered.
Police issued an order via radio and TV stations for people to evacuate the city centre and for those in the suburbs to stay indoors.
Emergency workers were told not to enter buildings to look for survivors because of the fears of further blasts, even though some of the injured had used their mobile telephones to plead for help.
Bevdin Azimov, who came out of a subway exit and found himself in the centre of the devastation, said: "I saw a dead woman, and several were injured. I did not know what to do, people ran from the place. Many were afraid a bomb would explode again. The police came very quickly but they also feared another explosion. I got very scared."
Sally Renshaw, originally from Manchester, was working in an office a few streets away when the blast went off.
She said: "The whole room just shook and we all thought a truck must have crashed into the building. We ran to the window and we could see people running around in panic so we knew something serious had happened."
Another Briton, Craig Barnes, said: "I knew straight away that it was a terrorist bomb so I just got out as quickly as possible thinking there could be another bomb going off. I'm still shaking now.
"Oslo is a city but it's a small town compared to the UK. You're looking at probably the centre of Blackpool, that's what Oslo is. Everybody would have felt that bomb or heard it. That's how powerful it was."
Norwegians watching the unfolding drama on TV could not understand why they had become targets. One woman who called a local television station said: "We're Norway. We're the good guys. I can't understand it."
The only small mercy was that the attack happened at the height of Norway's holiday season and the streets were far quieter than they would normally be. Many workers had left for home around 15 minutes earlier because of summer working hours.
As the emergency services seemed to be getting a grip on the situation, police began receiving reports of shots being fired on Utoya, a tiny holiday island on the Tyrifjorden lake 15 miles west of Oslo.
A gunman, dressed as a policeman, had taken a boat to where 560 members of the Labour Youth movement, aged between 15 and 25, were holding a summer camp.
"The person identified himself as a policeman," said one witness. "He said it was for a routine check regarding the terrorist attack in Oslo."
Blond, more than six feet tall and speaking fluent Norwegian, the "policeman" did not raise any suspicions as he arrived on Utoya - but moments leader screams filled the air as he opened fire with an automatic weapon. Emelie Bersaas, 19, who hid under a desk in one of the only buildings on the island, said: "There was a lot of shooting, some of the shots were very close to the building, so I just covered myself up."
Other students jumped into the icy water, taking their chances in strong currents swirling around the island, in a desperate attempt to escape.
One father told a Norwegian newspaper: "I just spoke to my daughter on Utoya on the phone. She just screamed. She says one person is shot, while one of her friends has the back covered in blood. She says several of the youths are swimming away from the island now."
Another parent who rang students said: "A woman I know took the phone. She whispered: 'There is someone shooting, I have to hang up'."
Telephoning loved ones was the worst possible thing anyone could do, as the sound of a ringtone would alert the gunman to those hiding from him.
One message on Facebook read: "There is shooting on Utoya. DO NOT call anyone there. They are hiding in the bushes. Police on their way."
Bjorn Jarle Roberg-Larsen of the Labour party said: "People have started swimming out of panic, and it is far away from land. Others are hiding. Those I've spoken to, don't want to speak anymore. They were scared to death."
With no hope of help arriving quickly, the gunman could take his time to pick off his targets. Ambulance crews were told they could not go onto the island until the gunman had been stopped.
One youth tweeted: "We are sitting down by the beach. A man is shooting clothed in a police uniform. Help us! When are the police coming to help us!"
As the gunman carried on shooting at will, a police special weapons and tactics team finally landed on the island and took the killer alive.
Hadja Tajik, a Labour MP who was at the camp shortly before the attack, said: "We know that this day and what happened on it has changed Norway, but we don't yet know in what way."
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