Police during their scene examination at the Al Noor mosque in Christchurch earlier on Sunday morning, March 17, found a body of another victim of the ghastly attack- which further confirmed the death toll from 49 to 50.
In an evolving situation, 36 people with injuries are admitted in the Christchurch Hospital, of which 11 are said to be in critical condition. In addition, the four-year-old child transported to Starship Hospital in Auckland yesterday still remains in a critical condition.
Earlier this morning, The High Commission of India in Wellington confirmed the death of five Indian nationals who were in New Zealand on different visas and two NZ citizens of Indian origin (PIOs) living in Christchurch as victims of the mosque attack.
“With a very heavy heart, we officially share the news of the loss of precious lives of our 5 nationals in the ghastly terror attack in Christchurch,” The High Commission of India in Wellington told The Indian Weekender.
The five Indian nationals father-son Arif Vora (58) and Ramiz Vora (28), 64-year-old Mehboob Khokar, 24-year-old Ozair Kadir, and 23-year-old Kerala woman Ansi Alibava.
Mohd Imran Khan (46) of Karimnagar, Telangana, and Farhaj Ahsan (31) from Hyderabad are PIOs (Person of Indian Origin) killed in the attack.
Update: 38-year-old Junaid Kara, a person of Indian origin running a general store in Christchurch was also killed in the attack. He belonged to the Navsara region of Gujarat, India and had been living in New Zealand for over a decade.
Ahmed Iqbal Jahangeer from Hyderabad is amongst the injured. More information to be updated soon.
As per latest updates, the Givealittle page set up for the victims of the massacre has received over $3.4 million and overall Kiwis have donated over $5 million to support the victims.
Police earlier this morning stressed that the safety of the public remains it’s priority nationally, and particularly in Christchurch following the tragic events on Friday.
Police has asked that people return to their daily lives, but also, be vigilant.
“If you “see something, say something”. If you have information which may help the investigation into the Christchurch attacks, please use the online form available at www.police.govt.nz.”
“The online form is not an emergency channel - if you see anything suspicious or need urgent help, please ring 111 immediately,” police appealed the public.
The High Commission of India has established a ‘Support Group’ in Christchurch to assist the families. For assistance, families can contact Dr S.Sachdev 021476453, Dr A.Puri 0211218407, Dr V.Singh 0212371087, Mohiuddin 211280040, Dr Diwaker 0273291026, H.Reddy 0274922601.
More to come upon receipt of official information from the concerned authorities.