At least three Bangladeshis were among the 49 people who were killed in shootings at two mosques in New Zealand on Friday (Mar 15).
“Among the casualties there are reports of death of three persons of Bangladesh origin, and a few are critically injured,” Bangladesh’s High Commission to Australia said in a statement on Friday (Mar 14).
Two other Bangladeshi nationals were among the injured and three still missing, Bangladeshi High Commissioner to Australia and New Zealand (non-resident) Mohammad Sufiur Rahman told Bangla Tribune.
Identifying the victims, High Commissioner Rahman told Bangla Tribune that one of the deceased is as Dr Abdus Samad, an Agroeconomist, and another is Hosne Ara Begum, a housewife.
Details of another deceased were unavailable.
One of the three missing has been identified as the wife of Dr Abdus Samad, Rahman added.
Bangladesh High Commission “still awaits details of them from the New Zealand security officials and hospital authorities officially.”
Bangladesh does not have an embassy in New Zealand as Dhaka’s High Commissioner in Canberra is concurrently accredited to the neighbouring country.
But the statement said the Canberra mission kept in touch with Bangladeshis in New Zealand and particularly in Christchurch directly and through Dhaka’s honorary consul in Auckland and asked them to remain calm, try to stay indoors and avoid places of congregation.
They were simultaneously asked to follow the directives of the New Zealand authorities’ security directives against the backdrop of the situation.
“We are closely monitoring the situation through our Australia mission and I have already directed our honorary consul in New Zealand to rush to Christchurch from Wallington,” Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen earlier told BSS.
He said Bangladeshi expatriates in New Zealand informed him that four to five fellow countrymen were wounded in the near-simultaneous attacks in the two mosques.
“We will get details information about the condition of Bangladeshi expatriates in Christchurch when our (honourary) consul reaches there,” Momen said.
The Canberra mission statement, meanwhile, said honorary consul Shafiqur Rahman would reach Christchurch tomorrow morning to extend support to the Bangladeshi victims.
“He may be contacted at his mobile phone number +64 21024 65819,” it read.
Bangladesh Deputy High Commissioner to Australia Tareq Ahmed along with a Consular officer will also proceed to Christchurch at the earliest possible time tomorrow to provide all kinds of support, said the release.

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