Minal Panchal, an Indian student who has been missing since yesterday's shooting rampage in the Virginia Tech University, has been killed.

Panchal, hailing from Mumbai, is a first year student in the University and is the second Indian to lose life in the worst school shooting rampage.

"The Embassy has learnt with great sorrow that apart from the Indian American Professor G V Loganathan, a first year student Minal Panchal is also among the victims," a senior official of the Embassy told PTI today.

Binoy Valsan in Mumbai adds:

Hundreds of netizens have logged onto Minal Panchal's profile in the social networking site Orkut to express their condolences.

Reema Sharma, serving as a doctor in New York, said the whole town is a university campus area and is generally considered as a safe place. She said it's a small area with lots of international students.

"It's not a place where one would expect such tragedy. Students mingle with each other & stay on the roads till late. The crime rate is almost zero there," Reema said.

A number of these people have also expressed their resentment over the loose weapon policies followed in the US making it easy for anyone to lay his hands on them.

"I am really surprised the US doesn't do much about its arms purchasing policy. You go to a place to study and you end up dying instead of making a career. I am at a loss for words." scrapped Chinky Sanyal, a banker based in Austin, USA.

Some prospective students to the United States have expressed their apprehension over these isolated instances of violence on educational institution premises.

"I am a prospective MS student. I m terribly shocked at this incident. All this tragic incidents are bound to happen in university campuses unless the American government comes up with a law that prevents arms in the hands of young people. I've heard it's easy and casual to buy a weapon in the United States."