Flowers were placed outside the Norwegian Embassy in Ottawa Monday as a steady stream of people showed up to offer their condolences after a horrific pair of attacks killed 76 people in Norway's capital late last week.
The massacre started when a bomb exploded in a car outside Oslo's government buildings on Friday. A short time later a gunman opened fire at a youth camp on Utoya Island.
The attacks were believed to have caused 93 deaths, but police lowered that number on Monday.
A police spokesperson said the death toll at the youth camp had been lowered to 68, down from 86. The number of people killed in the bomb blast increased to eight, from seven.
Anders Behring Breivik, the man charged in connection with the massacre, pleaded not guilty on Monday.
Although the devastating acts were carried out overseas, that hasn't stopped Ottawa residents from expressing their sympathy.
"I'm not related to anybody there. I have no family in Norway, but it's just another unnecessary, cruel tragedy," said Ottawa resident Krishna Mercer.
"I lived in New York on September 11th and it brought back the feelings of that tragedy."
Mark Senn, also of Ottawa, added: "It's very difficult to understand how one person could have that much hatred in them."
Ambassadors from other nations are also speaking out, offering their condolences.
"There's a period of shock and a lack of ability to comprehend what's going on," U.S. Ambassador David Jacobson told CTV Ottawa on Monday.
"It's more or less solidarity and many times those feelings are forgotten or abandoned," added Tomaz Kunstelj, the Ambassador of Slovenia.
The Norwegian Embassy is inviting people to offer their condolences on Monday and Tuesday between noon and 2 p.m. at Suite 1300, 150 Metcalfe St. in downtown Ottawa.
With a report from CTV Ottawa's Stefan Keyes and files from The Associated Press
