ZCZC
BSS-38
FM-NZ-TOLL
4 Bangladeshi expats killed in NZ shooting, FM says
DHAKA, March 17, 2019 (BSS) – Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen today said latest reports suggested the death toll of Bangladeshi expatiates at gun attack in Christchurch mosques in New Zealand raised to four from two.
“The New Zealand authorities have so far confirmed the death of two persons (Bangladeshi origin) officially but we came to know from other local sources that two more dead bodies were identified as Bangladeshi expatriates,” he told newsmen after emerging from a seminar at Jatiya Press Club this evening.
Momen said the foreign ministry will finalize the Bangladeshi death toll after getting confirmation from the New Zealand authorities.
“Currently, we (foreign ministry) are working to get prepared for bringing back the dead bodies from New Zealand,” he said adding that Bangladesh government will bear the carrying cost of dead bodies from New Zealand to Bangladesh.
The officially confirmed dead of Bangladeshis expatriates were identified as Professor Abdus Samad and Hosne Ara Parvin.
Two more shooting victims identified as Omar Faruk and Mojammel Haque (still remained missing officially) are “perhaps” dead, an foreign ministry official said referring to local Bangladeshi expatiate sources.
Another Bangladeshi named Zakaria Bhuiyan is also missing, he added.
Bangladesh does not have any embassy in New Zealand as Dhaka’s High Commissioner in Canberra is concurrently accredited to the neigbouring country while Dhaka appointed a honourary consul in Auckland to look into the Bangladesh’s interest in New Zealand.
After the incident Bangladesh Honorary Consul in New Zealand Shafiqur Rahman Bhuiyan and Bangladesh Deputy High Commissioner in Australia along with a official reached Christchurch from Auckland and Canberra to provide necessary support to affected Bangladeshis there.
Fifty people were killed in terror attacks on two mosques during Jumma’a prayers in Christchurch on Friday.
BSS/ASG/TA/MMA/2105hrs