SINGAPORE - About 700 Singaporeans and permanent residents attended a candlelight vigil for Orlando shooting victims on Tuesday (June 14) night.

Participants held a minute's silence for the 49 victims killed in a gay club on Sunday in Florida, then sang songs such as Michael Jackson's Heal The World.

Organiser Nicholas Lim, 36, founder of online LGBT community GLBT Voices Singapore, said he was surprised by the turnout given the event page on Facebook was set up only at 2pm on Monday.

"People are coming together in the name of love. This shows that hate will not win," said Mr Lim as he addressed the crowd gathered at Hong Lim Park on Tuesday evening.

"We, the LGBT community and our allies, we are used to discrimination. And we are still here, we are resilient... It is a strong statement to the people who often misunderstand us and label us with ugly names.

"We want to tell them that hate will not win. Tonight, we show that in times of tragedy, people come together in the name of love." Mr Lim also read out the names of the victims.

On Sunday, a shooter entered the club in Orlando and opened fire on merrymakers - killing 49 people and injuring 53 more in what is being described as the US' worst mass shooting.

Marketing director Tracy Tan, 49, who attended the vigil with a group of friends, said she was there to "grieve and to mourn the pointless and tragic loss of lives".

"I came with a group of friends but I consider everyone here as family," she added.