At least 19 children and two adults were killed on Tuesday after a shooting at an elementary school in the US southern state of Texas, authorities said. The shooting took place in the small city of Uvalde, home to around 16,000 people, including a large Latino community. It is around 137 kilometers (85 miles) from San Antonio, near the Mexican border.

US President Joe Biden ordered US flags to be flown at half-staff at the White House, military posts, naval vessels and US embassies as a "mark of respect for the victims of the senseless acts of violence."

Biden, who had just returned from a trip to Asia, delivered an emotional address later on Tuesday.