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At first, Duncan Thorp thought the staccato sounds he was hearing over the music of the concert were from firecrackers.

But within seconds the Calgarian realized something was very wrong.

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“Everyone was so caught up in enjoying the music and when the first few shots were fired, people thought it was firecrackers,” Thorp recalled.

“But when it kept happening, people realized it was gunfire.”

Update: Women from Okotoks and Jasper among the victims

Thorp joined a throng of panicked concertgoers who ran to a gate left of the stage.

“People were scared out of their minds. They were really terrified,” Thorp said. “I’ve never been in a situation like that.”

Thorp was one of a number of Calgarians who spent a tense night in Las Vegas after a gunman opened fire on an outdoor music festival Monday, killing more than 50 people, including two Canadians.

At least 500 people were injured Sunday night in what is being described as the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.