Some students took refuge in library, two Indians missing

8220;Some students are still locked inside the campus,8221; said Puri. 8220;We are trying hard to get as many details as possible,8221; he added.

The BBC has aired the contents of e-mails received from students trapped in the campus . One Indian student, Krishna and his classmate wrote: 8220;We are stuck in the campus library right now and everyone just seems to be in shock. Cops are everywhere. We just heard that 17 people have been shot. It8217;s been hard to determine what8217;s true and what8217;s just a rumour. We can only hope that the shooters are caught soon.8221;

With more than 25,000 full-time students, Virginia Tech has the state8217;s largest full-time student population. The school is best known for its engineering school and its powerhouse football team.

The maximum number of foreign students are from India and China. The rest come from 43 other countries.

White House deputy press secretary Dana Perino said the thoughts and prayers of President George Bush are with the students. 8220;The President believes that there is a right for people to bear arms, but that all laws must be followed.8221;