Mourners pay tribute as New Zealand prepares graves for mosque massacre victims

A steady stream of mourners paid tribute on Sunday at a makeshift memorial to the 50 people killed by a gunman at two mosques in Christchurch.

Dozens of Muslims stood by to bury the dead when authorities finally release the victims’ bodies.

Hundreds of flowers were piled up amid candles, balloons and notes of grief and love outside the Al Noor mosque. As a light rain fell, people clutched each other and wept quietly.

“We made a heart for you. 50 hearts for 50 lives.”

Two days after Friday’s attack, New Zealand’s deadliest shooting in modern history, relatives were still waiting for authorities to release the bodies.

Islamic law calls for bodies to be cleansed and buried as soon as possible after death, usually within 24 hours.

Prime minister Jacinda Ardern said authorities hoped to release all the bodies by Wednesday, and police commissioner Mike Bush said authorities were working with pathologists and coroners to complete the task as soon as they could.

“We have to be absolutely clear on the cause of death and confirm their identity before that can happen,” Mr Bush added.

“But we are so aware of the cultural and religious needs. So we are doing that as quickly and as sensitively as possible.”

Police said they had released a preliminary list of the victims to families, which has helped give closure to some who were waiting for any news.

What appeared to be a jumbled 74-page anti-immigrant manifesto was posted online before the attacks.

Ms Ardern said the manifesto had been sent to her office email about nine minutes before the attacks, although she had not received the email directly herself.

Mr Bush said at a news conference that another body had been found at Al Noor mosque as they finished removing the victims, bringing the number of people killed there to 42.

Another seven people were killed at Linwood mosque and one more person died later at Christchurch Hospital.

Thirty-four wounded remained at the hospital, where officials said 12 were in critical condition. A four-year-old girl at a children’s hospital in Auckland was also described as critical.

Dozens of Muslim supporters gathered at a centre set up for victims, families and friends across the road from the hospital, where many had flown in from around New Zealand to offer support.

About two dozen men received instructions on their duties Sunday, which included Muslim burial customs.

Abdul Hakim, 56, of Auckland, was among many who had flown in to help.

Javed Dadabhai, who flew from Auckland after learning about the death of his 35-year-old cousin, Junaid Mortara, said the Muslim community was being patient.

“The family understands that it’s a crime scene. It’s going to be a criminal charge against the guy who’s done this, so they need to be pretty thorough,” he said.

People across the country were still trying to come to terms with the massacre that Ms Ardern described as “one of New Zealand’s darkest days”.

At the Vatican, Pope Francis offered prayers for “our Muslim brothers” killed in the attack.

At his traditional Sunday prayer, Francis renewed “an invitation to unite in prayer and gestures of peace to oppose hatred and violence”.

The gunman apparently livestreamed the rampage at the Al Noor mosque, where worshippers were sprayed with bullets.

The second attack took place at the Linwood mosque about three miles away.

Greek police said Tarrant had stayed on the Greek islands of Crete and Santorini and travelled through the country twice, all in 2016.

Authorities in Bulgaria, Turkey, Croatia and Hungary have also confirmed visits by Tarrant between 2016 and 2018 as he apparently studied battles between Christians and the Ottoman Empire.

At a news conference, the prime minister reiterated her promise that there will be changes to the country’s gun laws. She said her Cabinet would discuss the policy details Monday.