One from each family can go to New Zealand to bring body home

Diplomatic Correspondent: The New Zealand government has informed Bangladesh that they can take one close relative from each of mosque terror attack victims' families to New Zealand and they will be able to bring the bodies back home.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs M Shahriar Alam told this to the media on Sunday.

We came to know from our local Bangladeshi community that four people were killed in the terror attack. Of them, New Zealand police confirmed the identities of Dr Abdus Samad and Hosne Ara Ahmed, Shahriar said.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern saida on completion of autopsy on the bodies, her government will begin handing over the bodies to their relatives on Sunday.

Shahriar said Dr Samad's family has decided to bury him locally and his elder son will join them from Bangladesh.

There is no decision yet whether Hosne Ara will be buried there or her body will be brought back home.

On Friday, at least 50 people were killed and 48 others injured as a youth carried out gruesome terrorist attacks on two mosques during Jum'a prayers in Christchurch.

The incident had happened minutes before the Bangladesh cricket team arrived at one of the mosques.


risingbd/Dhaka/Mar 17, 2019/Hasan/AI