Details are beginning to emerge of some of the 32 people murdered by a rampaging gunman at Virginia Tech University.

University authorities said they will not name those killed until all of them have been identified and their families informed.

However, an unofficial list of victims has emerged on a student newspaper website and others have been named by their colleagues, officials and media websites.

Emily Jane Hilscher, a 19-year-old first year student and the killer’s girlfriend, is believed to have been murdered in the first spate of killings at West Ambler Johnston Hall. The killer then went on to murder her neighbour Ryan Clark.

Photographs of Emily, who was studying animal and poultry sciences, were posted on the website Facebook.com. One friend said: “She was so filled with life and always had something wonderful to say or was always making me smile.”

Another said: “I’m sorry that she ever got involved with this guy.”

Ryan Clark, 22, of Martinez, Georgia. A coroner in Georgia said the student was shot in the neck, the Roanoke Times, a Virginia newspaper, reported. He was a fifth-year student working toward degrees in biology and English, and a member of the Marching Virginians band

Professor Liviu Librescu, 76, an engineering science and mathematics lecturer. An Israeli of Romanian descent, Prof Librescu was renowned internationally for his research in aeronautical engineering. He moved to Virginia in 1985. He is said to have blocked the door to the gunman and told his students to flee.

Professor Kevin Granata, age unknown, an expert in engineering science and mechanics. He conducted orthopaedic research in hospitals before joining the university. Mr Granata was one of the top five biomechanics researchers in the US. He worked on movement dynamics in those affected by cerebral palsy.

Professor GV Longanathan, 51, a lecturer at the Virginia Tech department of civil and environmental engineering.

Mr Longanathan was born in the southern Indian city of Chennai and had been at Virginia Tech since 1982. He lived in the US with his wife.

His brother GV Palanivel, who lives in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu, said friends and family were supporting his sister-in-law.

He said: “For us it was like an electric shock. We’ve totally collapsed today. Our parents are elderly and have broken down completely.”

Christopher James Bishop, 35, an instructor of German, other colleagues confirmed. The Roanoke Times said he wore his hair long, rode his bike to campus, and worked alongside his wife in the college’s foreign languages department.

Maxine Turner, a final year student studying Chemical Engineering described in a web tribute as “Just an absolutely amazing, intelligent woman”.