Los Angeles: The Christmas Eve massacre here, which was carried out allegedly by a distressed man dressed as Santa Claus killing nine people including his ex-wife, has left 16 children orphaned, according to the media.

The incident took place in suburban town of Covina, about 35 kilometres from Los Angeles on Wednesday when Bruce Jeffrey Pardo allegedly killed his ex-wife Sylvia Ortega and her parents before turning the gun on himself.

Sylvia Ortega's three children were at the party but survived, Scott Nord, the family's lawyer told NBC4 television yesterday.

"The entire family was wiped out. There's basically like 16 orphans." Nord was quoted as saying by the news channel.

The nine killed in the massacre were identified as Pardo s ex-wife Sylvia Ortega, her parents, her two brothers and their partners, her sister and her teenage nephew.

Los Angeles Coroner's office assistant chief Ed Winter said on Friday the bodies of the dead were burned beyond recognition and that it would take several days for formal identification as officials checked x-ray and dental records.

Nord told NBC4 that contrary to reports, Pardo s recent divorce from Ortega - reported as a possible cause for the slaughter - had not been especially acrimonious.

"There was no history of domestic violence in this case or none that my client had ever told me about," he said.

On Friday, police found an airline ticket from Los Angeles to Canada and about USD 17,000 in cash which made detectives believe that Pardo, an electrical engineer who had recently been fired from his job, planned to flee the country after the killing spree but the burns suffered by him made him change his plans and kill himself.
Source : PTI