Ambulance staff take a man from outside a mosque in central Christchurch, New Zealand, Friday, March 15, 2019. (Photo: Mark Baker/AP)
Families of the 50 people killed in the Christchurch mosque shootings are enduring an increasingly agonizing wait for the bodies of victims to be released as New Zealand reels from the unprecedented tragedy.
Days after Friday's attack, New Zealand's deadliest shooting in modern history, relatives were anxiously waiting for word on when they can bury their loved ones. Islamic tradition calls for bodies to be cleansed and buried as soon as possible after death.
Aya Al-Umari, whose older brother Hussien Al-Umari died at the Al Noor mosque, said "It's very unsettling not knowing what's going on, if you just let me know — is he still in the mosque? Is he in a fridge? Where is he?"
Authorities say alleged Christchurch mosque gunman Brenton Tarrant arrived in Hungary as a tourist last November on a train that runs between Timisoara, Romania, and Budapest, Hungary.
Hungary's Counter-Terrorism Center said in a statement that Brenton Tarrant entered the country Nov. 26, 2018 at the border railway crossing in Lokoshaza, about 250 kilometers (155 miles), southeast of Budapest.
Tarrant is accused of shooting worshippers at two mosques in New Zealand last week. Fifty people have died and dozens are still hospitalized.
The statement says said Tarrant was traveling by himself when he entered Hungary, did not appear on any terrorist databases, had not been flagged by authorities elsewhere and would have been allowed to stay in Hungary for up to 90 days without a visa.
The center says it is still investigating what Tarrant did and where he went while he was in Hungary. (AP)
People gather for morning prayers at Lakemba Mosque in the suburb Lakemba on March 16, 2019 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo: James Gourley/Getty Images)
People light candles next to flowers and tributes laid by the wall of the Botanic Gardens on March 17, 2019 in Christchurch, New Zealand. (Photo: Carl Court/Getty Images)
Young women weep as they hold each other for comfort during a students vigil near Al Noor mosque on March 18, 2019 in Christchurch, New Zealand. (Photo: Carl Court/Getty Images)
Fifty pairs of white shoes have been laid in front of All Souls Anglican Church in honour of victims who lost their lives on March 18, 2019 in Christchurch, New Zealand. (Photo: Hannah Peters/Getty Images)
Students react as they gather for a vigil to commemorate victims of Friday's shooting, outside the Al Noor mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand, Monday, March 18, 2019. (Photo: Vincent Yu/AP)
A police officer stands guard in front of the Masjid Al Noor mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand, Sunday, March 17, 2019, where one of two mass shootings occurred. (Photo: Vincent Yu/AP)
Candles are placed to commemorate victims of Friday's shooting, outside the Al Noor mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand, Monday, March 18, 2019. (Photo: Vincent Thian/AP)
Students light candles as they gather for a vigil to commemorate victims of Friday's shooting, outside the Al Noor mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand, Monday, March 18, 2019. (Photo: Vincent Yu/AP)
Mourners lay flowers on a wall at the Botanical Gardens in Christchurch, New Zealand,, March 16, 2019. (Photo: Vincent Thian/AP)
A police officer is seen after reports that several shots had been fired at a mosque, in central Christchurch, New Zealand March 15, 2019, in this still image taken from video. (Photo: TVNZ/via REUTERS TV )
An injured person is loaded into an ambulance following a shooting at the Al Noor mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand, March 15, 2019. (Photo: Martin Hunter/Reuters)
Shattered car window following a shooting at the Al Noor mosque in Christchurch,New Zealand, March 15, 2019. (Photo: Martin Hunter/Reuters)
A map shows the location of two shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand, on Friday, March 15, 2019. (AP)
A man reacts as he speaks on a mobile phone outside a mosque in central Christchurch, New Zealand, Friday, March 15, 2019. (Photo: Mark Baker/AP)
A still image taken from video circulated on social media, apparently taken by a gunman and posted online live as the attack unfolded, shows him entering a mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand, March 15, 2019. (Photo: Social Media Website/Handout via Reuters)
An bulletproof vest and protection gear is seen in this undated photo posted on twitter on March 12, 2019 by the apparent gunman who attacked a mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand. Photo: Twitter/via Reuters)
Ammunition is seen in this undated photo posted on twitter on March 12, 2019 by the apparent gunman who attacked a mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand. Photo: Twitter/via Reuters)
Bloodied bandages on the road following a shooting at the Al Noor mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand, March 15, 2019. (Photo: SNPA/Martin Hunter /Reuters)
Flowers are placed on the front steps of the Wellington Masjid mosque in Kilbirnie in Wellington on March 15, 2019, after a shooting incident at two mosques in Christchurch. (Photo: Marty Melville/AFP/Getty Images)
Police speak to a resident as they cordon off Linwood Avenue near the Linwood Masjid on March 15, 2019 in Christchurch, New Zealand. (Photo: Kai Schwoerer/Getty Images)
Police and ambulance staff help a wounded man from outside a mosque in central Christchurch, New Zealand, Friday, March 15, 2019. (Photo: Mark Baker/AP)
Police investigate a property at Somerville Street on March 15, 2019 in Dunedin, New Zealand. (Photo: Dianne Manson/Getty Images)
Police investigate a property at Somerville Street on March 15, 2019 in Dunedin, New Zealand. Residents have been evacuated off the street as police investigate a property believed to be related to the deadly terror attacks in Christchurch today. (Photo: Dianne Manson/Getty Images)
Police attempt to move people away from outside a mosque in central Christchurch, New Zealand, Friday, March 15, 2019. (Photo: Mark Baker/AP)
People wait outside a mosque in central Christchurch, New Zealand, Friday, March 15, 2019. Many people were killed in a mass shooting at a mosque, a witness said. (Photo: Mark Baker/AP)
Ambulances parked outside a mosque in central Christchurch, New Zealand, Friday, March 15, 2019. (Photo: Mark Baker/AP)
Police stand outside a mosque in Linwood, Christchurch, New Zealand, Friday, March 15, 2019. (Photo: Mark Baker/AP)
A police officer talks on her phone as a roadblock near a mass shooting at a mosque in Linwood, Christchurch, New Zealand, Friday, March 15, 2019. (Photo: Mark Baker/AP)
An armed police officer watches as a man is taken by ambulance staff from a mosque in central Christchurch, New Zealand, March 15, 2019. (Photo: Mark Baker/AP)
A police officer patrols at a cordon near a mosque in central Christchurch, New Zealand, Friday, March 15, 2019. (Photo: Mark Baker/AP)
A man talks on his mobile phone across the road from a mosque in central Christchurch, New Zealand, Friday, March 15, 2019. (Photo: Mark Baker/AP)
A body lies on the footpath outside a mosque in central Christchurch, New Zealand, Friday, March 15, 2019, following a mass shooting. (Photo: Mark Baker/AP)
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