Displaying items by tag: Christchurch

An ‘extremist, right-wing terrorist’ has been arrested and named as the main suspect in connection with shootings at two mosques in Christchurch on 15 March; 49 were killed and at least 20 injured. The shooting was the deadliest in the country's history; prime minister Jacinda Ardern called it one of NZ's ‘darkest days’. One gunman live-streamed footage of his rampage to Facebook, filmed with a head-mounted camera. The footage showed him firing indiscriminately at men, women and children from close range inside the Al-Noor mosque. The suspect, who identified himself as Australian, is understood to have published a hate-filled manifesto outlining his intentions and espousing far-right and anti-immigrant ideology. Even though he did this one month ago, he had not been put on any watch list.

Hundreds of homes have been evacuated in Christchurch as a huge wildfire raged on its outskirts. One pilot has died in a helicopter crash, and least eleven homes have burned down. A state of emergency has been declared, and the military has been deployed to help firefighters. It is unclear what caused the fire; prime minister Bill English has said that it looked suspicious, and investigations are continuing. The fire broke out in two separate places on Monday in the dry hills south of the city, before merging into one blaze which now covers about 1,800ha. More than 130 firefighters have been deployed, along with 14 helicopters and three aircraft. A total of 400 homes have been evacuated by police, but hundreds of other people have also chosen to leave the area. A police spokesman warned people that fires can change direction and move quickly, giving little time to escape. ‘If you're worried, don't leave it too late - it's better to be safe than sorry.’