Contact: Erik Ogren, 704-401-2117, eogren@bgea.org; Lisa Moseley, 704-401-2116, lmoseley@bgea.org
 
CHARLOTTE, N.C., Oct. 2, 2017 /Christian Newswire/ -- The Billy Graham Rapid Response Team has deployed chaplains to Las Vegas following last night's horrific mass shooting on the Las Vegas Strip. The attack, which took place at a country music festival near the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino, is now the deadliest mass shooting on American soil in modern history.
 
"We mourn for the families that lost loved ones, especially in such an evil and violent manner. We grieve for the survivors who will carry the emotional and physical scars the rest of their lives. The terror that took place last night in Las Vegas will forever be etched in the minds of those who were present," said Jack Munday, international director of the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team. "We will be there to talk with and pray with the hurting, offering the hope and comfort of Jesus Christ in these dark days."
 
Franklin Graham, president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, posted to his Facebook page: "This morning we awoke to the tragic news that at least 50 people were killed and over 200 wounded last night in a mass shooting at a Las Vegas outdoor concert. Please join me in praying for the families of those killed and for all the injured."
  
An initial group of chaplains will arrive today and tomorrow to minister at memorial sites. Additional chaplains will be on stand-by to respond as warranted.
 
The Billy Graham Rapid Response Team has a long history of offering hope and comfort following shootings and terror attacks both domestically and internationally. Thus far in 2017, the ministry has dispatched chaplains in response to terror attacks in Quebec, Canada; London, England (March and June); Manchester, England; and Barcelona, Spain. In 2016, the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team brought hope following terror attacks in Belgium, France and Germany (Munich in July and Berlin in December).
  
In June of 2016, 40 crisis-trained chaplains prayed with and comforted more than 1,600 mourners in Orlando, Fla., following the attack at the Pulse night club. The organization has also responded to mass shootings in San Bernardino, Calif., (2016); Umpqua Community College in Oregon (2016); Newtown, Conn., (2012); Aurora, Colo., (2012); Northern Illinois University (2008) and Virginia Tech University (2007), among others.
 
For more information on the ministry, including videos, photos, news articles and an interactive map of former and current deployments, visit www.billygraham.org/rrt. Updates can also be found at www.facebook.com/RRTChaplains.
 
About the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team:
The Billy Graham Rapid Response Team was developed by Franklin Graham and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association following the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. It has since grown into an international network of chaplains in the U.S., U.K., Canada and Australia who are specifically trained to deal with crisis situations. They have deployed to more than 270 disaster sites, including shootings, floods, hurricanes, wildfires and tornadoes.