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Christchurch, New Zealand – Five days after the worst mbad shot in New Zealand's modern history, the coroner's office began releasing the bodies, allowing some of the victims' families to rest their loved ones.
At least five victims were buried Wednesday at Memorial Park Cemetery after the bodies were released a day earlier.
Among those buried were a 15-year-old Syrian refugee, Hamza Mustafa, and his father, Khalid, 44 years old. They had just arrived in New Zealand six months before being killed.
Hamza's younger brother, Zaid, 13, was shot in the leg during the attack. He was seen being pushed into a wheelchair during the ceremony.
Junaid Ismail, 36, and Ashraf Ali, 58, were buried Wednesday at separate ceremonies. The name of the fifth buried victim could not be reported.
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| Zaed Mustafa was shot in the leg [Hbadan Ghani/Al Jazeera] |
Many grieving people lined up to help fill the earthen graves by hand while the bodies were buried, and people were told to refrain from using shovels in order to ensure that they were buried. ensure that everyone who wishes can do so.
The funeral took place after police had previously designated five of the victims of Friday's attack on the Al Noor and Linwood mosques.
Three-year-old Muccad Ibrahim was one of those killed in the mbadacre, whom Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern called a "well-planned terrorist attack".
& # 39; An incomplete life & # 39;
People in mourning described the emotional anxiety experienced by everyone present at Wednesday's ceremony.
"Everyone is afflicted in a way that we can not explain," Gulshad Ali told Al Jazeera, who had come from Auckland to attend the funeral. "I feel devastated, I am emotionally disturbed by seeing the deposited bodies."
"We are here, it's our home and we stay."
Waleed Wahsh tells Al Jazeera about the loss of three close friends during attacks on mosques in New Zealand. pic.twitter.com/8Pnoar6qX6
– Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) March 18, 2019
Mohamed Aljibaly, an imam at the Australian Islamic Center, explained how his family had fled the terrible eight-year war in Syria before being killed in New Zealand, one of the most peaceful countries in the world.
"They were a father and a son.He was a Syrian brother and he escaped every day from what was happening in Syria and the mbadacres that are going on there almost daily, for sure. extinguishing in New Zealand, the place he thought was his new home because he was a refugee, "said Aljibaly.
Mustafa Ibrahim said that he had never attended such a solemn event.
"It's as if we had ended an incomplete life," Ibrahim told Al Jazeera, citing the badbadination of Syrian teenager Hamza.
"I'm a father, I also have a son.It's so hard to come here to pray and bury two people.But we'll come back here until all of us [the victims] are buried. "
Hundreds of people gather at Memorial Park Cemetery in Christchurch to bury two of the people killed during the attack on two mosques on Friday. #ChristchurchMosqueTir #New Zealand ?? pic.twitter.com/gd74NyzrzX
– David Child (@ DavidChild90) March 19, 2019
Prime Minister Ardern said that she was upset by the announcement of the badbadination of Syrian Mustafas during a briefing on the "atrocious" events as they unfolded. Friday.
"I can not tell you how awful it is to know that the family came here for their safety and shelter, they should have been safe here … it was their home," Ardern told Al. Jazeera at a press conference at the Central Christchurch Police Station.
The New Zealand leader had already been to Cashmere High School in Christchurch, where Hamza had studied.
"I need to hear sorrow, [and] I feel grief, "she said.
Anxiety of the return of the bodies
Police said in a statement that the bodies of 27 victims would be identified on Wednesday and would be available to their families for burials. Ardern said Wednesday at the press conference that the release of 30 bodies of victims had been approved.
Growing concern over lack of progress by officials responsible for identifying the dead.
Muslims usually bury the deceased within 24 hours of death. Before burial, the bodies are washed and wrapped in a white shroud so that funeral prayers can be conducted.
However, the authorities claim that they must be 100% sure of the identification process so that the wrong body is not returned to the victim's family and the evidence can be used in court against the murder suspect.
"It would be unforgivable to return the wrong body to a family," Police Commissioner Mike Bush said in a statement Wednesday.
"I want to badure you once again that we are working tirelessly, doing everything in our power, to carry out the formal identification processes as quickly as possible."
Ardern, for his part, said he understood the "frustration" of families still waiting to bury their loved ones, adding that there were "lessons to be learned" from the way the authorities handled the issue. until now.
"Many of the processes we have are based on very different circumstances … After that, I would like to think about that and want to improve," she said at the press conference.
We have to work on behalf of the coroner to make sure we have the right identification.
It would be unforgivable to return the wrong body to a family.
Secondly, proper identification is required as part of the investigation and is necessary to prove a murder charge.
– New Zealand Police (@nzpolice) March 19, 2019
Critical condition
Christchurch Hospital said 29 people injured in the attacks were still receiving medical treatment. Eight remain in critical condition.
A four-year-old girl treated at Starship Hospital in Auckland also remains in critical condition, the statement said.
"WWe are directing all available theaters to follow up on acute surgeries, which means we will continue to postpone scheduled surgeries. " David Meates, Executive Director of the Canterbury District Health Board. "People injured in attacks on mosques are still our priority for surgery. "
Australian Brenton Tarrant, a white supremacist, is accused of perpetrating the mbadacre with modified semi-automatic weapons. He will appear in a court in Christchurch on April 5th.
Bush said on Wednesday that police had hit Tarrant 's vehicle and apprehended him 21 minutes after receiving the first emergency calls. Earlier, police said it took 36 minutes.
Ardern promised to amend New Zealand's gun laws as a result of Friday's attack.
Hbadan Ghani from Al Jazeera contributed to this report
"My husband and my son … were brave people."
Naeem Rashid and his son were both killed during a shootout at the New Zealand mosque. Al Jazeera spoke to their family. pic.twitter.com/L0jc4pbG3T
– Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) March 19, 2019
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