Forty-nine people have been killed and at least 20 wounded in shootings at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Hyderabad-native Ahmed Iqbal Jahangir was one of the Indian victims. His family has now appealed to the Centre and the Telangana government to expedite the visa process of his brother, Khursheed, so that he can travel to Christchurch and tend to his brother while he undergoes treatment.
According to Khursheed, his brother has been in New Zealand for almost 12 years now where his restaurant specialises in Hyderabadi cuisine. He went for his Friday prayers. Two of his friends were killed in the attack.
“We are not able to get any proper news about what is happening over there. He has a wife and two children; one aged 3 and one aged 5," Khursheed said to TNM.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern described the incident as a terrorist attack and one of New Zealand's "darkest days".
A man in his late twenties was charged with murder and will appear in court on Saturday morning, police confirmed.
Two other men and one woman were detained nearby and firearms and explosive devices recovered, Police Commissioner Mike Bush said.