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The victims of the Pulse nightclub attack have been remembered in a number of ceremonies in Orlando on the first anniversary of the worst mass shooting in modern US history.
Survivors, victims' families, club employees and local officials gathered for a private service at the gay club at the exact time (2:02am) Omar Mateen opened fire a year ago.
"I realise that gathering here in this place, at this hour, is beyond difficult," Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said.
"But I also know that the strength you've shown over the past year will carry you through today and in the future."
The service marked the start of 24 hours of solemn remembrances.
Church bells tolled 49 times and a giant rainbow flag was hung from a county government building in Orlando as the names of the victims of the Pulse nightclub attack were read aloud.
During a midday service, the Orlando Gay Chorus performed Cyndi Lauper's True Colours and speakers talked less about the tragedy and more about how Orlando area residents came together in the aftermath.
Most of the patrons killed were gay Latinos.
Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs said the city would only partly be remembered for the shooting.
"That will be a part of the history books, but the true legacy of our community is going to be [that] in our darkest hour we responded with love and compassion and unity," Ms Jacobs said.
Governor Rick Scott ordered US flags around Florida to be flown at half-mast.
Pulse owner Barbara Poma said when people ask her what has changed in her life since the tragedy, she tells them "everything".
But she said she was grateful for the outpouring of support. She plans to build a memorial at the site of the nightclub, which has been closed since the tragedy.
"I miss Pulse. I miss everything it stood for," she said.
'It brought us together'
President Donald Trump also marked the anniversary by tweeting a photo of the victims of the attack.
"We will NEVER FORGET the victims who lost their lives one year ago today in the horrific Pulse Nightclub shooting," he wrote.
Local leaders said Mateen's hateful act caused an outpouring of love from Orlando and the wider world.
"What a terrorist tries to do is divide us," US senator Bill Nelson said.
"Isn't it interesting it had the opposite effect? It brought us together in unity and love."
Outside Pulse, hundreds of people dropped off flowers, drawings and cards.
"It still hurts, it's still very raw," Erin Anderson, a friend and former co-worker of Pulse victim Xavier Serrano Rosado, said.
'I just love living here'
Jeannine Williams used to live within walking distance of Pulse and said she had made plans to be there the night of the shooting but later decided to go to another club.
"A year later I think the thing that is most important is this community and why I live here and why I'm so happy to live here," Ms Williams said through tears.
"The support we not only have from our city government, it's not fleeting support, it's not support on certain days. It's the way the community is. This is Orlando. This is why I just love living here."
A steady stream of visitors came by the Orange County Regional History Centre to see an exhibit of memorial items, including 49 crosses with the victims' names and photos attached.
AP/ABC
Topics: murder-and-manslaughter, crime, law-crime-and-justice, gays-and-lesbians, community-and-society, united-states