Halt urged to gifts for victims

Officials in Newtown, Connecticut, are asking people to stop sending gifts to the grief-stricken community following the deadly school shooting, saying they are deeply grateful but can not handle the donation deluge.

The town's mayor, police chief and schools superintendent made the request through an editor at The Newtown Bee newspaper.

They said since a gunman killed 20 children and six educators on December 14, gifts from school supplies to artwork have arrived in such numbers they have overwhelmed the small community's ability to process them.

The officials are asking people to temporarily stop sending gifts. They say once they process the "warehouses full of items", they will detail the best ways to help.

Meanwhile, the United Way of Western Connecticut announced that a fund established after the shooting to support Newtown has grown to 3.5 million US dollars.