Keralite woman among 49 killed in NZ mosque shootings

Kodungallur: A Keralite woman was among the 49 people killed in the Christchurch terror attacks and this was confirmed by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in a Facebook post Saturday.

“Death of Anshi Karippakulam (27) has been confirmed and her family has been intimated,” a top police official told PTI.

Vijayan, in his Facebook post, termed as shocking, the news that a Kodungallur native was among those who were killed in the terror attack in New Zealand.

“We have been trying to contact the embassy through Non-Resident Keralites Affairs Department (NORKA-ROOTS) to gather more information. We share the grief of the family,” Vijayan said.

According to reports, the woman was pursuing her MTech at a university there.

Her husband Abdul Nazer hails from Kochi.

Television channels also aired a visual of a man purportedly saying he was from Moovattupuzha in the State and that he had a narrow escape.

“I had come to the mosque along with a friend. I had a phone call and suddenly heard gun shots and saw a man shooting people and entering the mosque,” the man is heard saying in the footage.

He also said he and his friend had a “narrow and lucky escape.” 

Mass shootings at two mosques full of worshippers attending Friday prayers killed 49 people in New Zealand.