Anderson Cooper just delivered the most powerful tribute to the Orlando victims.

While many Australians were hitting the snooze button repeatedly yesterday morning because of the public holiday, none of us could have ever imagined the incomprehensible tragedy we would be waking up to.

Only as we checked our phones and scrolled through our Facebook feeds did we realise the horror which had taken place in the US overnight.

Forty-nine innocent people were killed.

These people, most of them members of the LGBTQI community, had been at Pulse night club in Orlando, Florida when the lone gunman, who we are choosing not to name, entered at 2am on Sunday morning EST, and began shooting.

And while we struggled to put into words the immeasurable sadness and grief we felt, American journalist Anderson Cooper, has done it for us. On Monday evening, less than 48 hours after the shooting, Cooper who is one of the most prominent gay journalists on American television - began his regular CNN broadcast with a touching, and extremely emotional tribute to the fallen victims.

"In the next two hours we want to try to keep the focus where we think it belongs, on the people whose lives were cut short," Cooper said.

He said the broadcast would name or show the dead gunman.

"They are more than a list of names. They are people who loved and who were loved."

@andersoncooper Very moving work tonight. #CNN

— Rob Lowe (@RobLowe) June 14, 2016

You can watch the full video above.