Shattered New Zealanders whose relatives are still missing after mosque gunman killed 49 wait anxiously outside Christchurch hospital for news
- Relatives of victims of the mosque attack have gathered at Christchurch hospital
- About 200 relatives are either by the bedside or waiting for news of loved ones
- Authorities say hospital is struggling to cope with number of wounded people
Shattered New Zealanders whose relatives are still missing after the terror shooting in Christchurch have gathered outside hospital, anxiously waiting for good news.
About 200 friends and family of missing victims are reportedly at Christchurch hospital - either by the bedside or waiting for news of loved ones being operated on.
Many people have been heard wailing and crying in the hospital's corridors as they learn their friends and family won't be coming home.
Devastated relatives are reportedly wailing and crying in the hospital's corridors as they learn their friends and family won't be coming home
Shattered New Zealanders whose relatives are still missing after the terror shooting in Christchurch have gathered outside hospital, anxiously waiting for good news
Canterbury District Health Board chief executive David Meates said on Friday the hospital is struggling to cope with the large number of wounded people.
'What we have been dealing with today is 48 gunshot wounds that were presented at Christchurch Hospital,' Mr Meates told the told New Zealand Herald.
The chief executive said the victims' injuries, which ranged from critical through to minor, placed an increased burden on the hospital's 12 operating theaters.
He said the operating suite had been working non-stop all afternoon following the tragedy, but it was expected surgeries would continue well into the night.
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With the scale of the operations, many people are likely to need several surgeries over the coming days and weeks due to the nature of the wounds, Mr Meates said.
'That involves us pulling in surgeons, nurses, doctors, support staff to enable us to respond, and we start deferring non-critical surgeries.'
One man desperate for answers is Mahdi Zougub, 22, who told the publication he was on the way to the Deans Ave mosque, when he learned of the shooting.
He described how shocked he was to see the dead bodies, and how he is is now nervously waiting to find out whether his friends and family survived.
With the scale of the operations, many people are likely to need several surgeries over the coming days and weeks due to the nature of the wounds
'We think our friend... we think he's gone. There's a lot of emotion,' Mr Zougub said.
Some of the victims have already been discharged from the hospital.
One man, who suffered a hand and leg wound, told the publication he couldn't believe it but was relieved he chose to not take his children to prayer this morning.
Mr Meates said the hospital was working closely with the Muslim community and authorities to ensure support services were in place for victims and relatives.
Armed police officers remain outside the hospital.
About 200 friends and family of missing victims are reportedly at Christchurch hospital (pictured) - either by the bedside or waiting for news of loved ones being operated on
One member of the Muslim community described how shocked he was to see dead bodies, and how he is is now nervously waiting to find out whether his friends and family survived
