Death toll from Canada mass shooting now 22

The death toll arising from a shooting rampage in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia on Sunday, when a gunman disguised as a police officer opened fire, has risen from 16 to 22 according to local authorities.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said they have recovered remains after they investigated more than a dozen crime scenes and combed through the wreckage of fires the gunman allegedly set before he was killed.

The attack which has been described as the worst in the country for 30 years also witnessed the shooting of a police officer who was among those killed by the gunman identified as Gabriel Wortman, 51.

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According to the police, several bodies were found inside and outside one home in the small, rural town of Portapique, about 60 miles (100 kilometres) north of Halifax, while other bodies were also found at other locations and buildings set on fire.

Authorities believe that Wortman who wore a police uniform at one point and made his car look like a RCMP vehicle, may have deliberately singled out his first victims before he began attacking randomly.

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