Bangladesh Cricket Team Escapes Mass Shooting at New Zealand Mosque
A Bangladesh cricket team manager says they were only minutes from being inside a mosque in New Zealand where a gunman opened fire, killing at least 49 people.
Team manager Khaled Mashud told the BBC that his players and members of his coaching staff were about 50 yards from the Al Noor mosque in Christchurch when shots rang out.
"If we were there five minutes earlier, it would have been worse," Mashud said. "There were 17 members on the bus, as a manager I had the responsibility to return to the hotel with the boys. It's really hard, we fell like we were in a movie."
In addition to the 49 that were killed at two different mosques, more than 40 others were injured.
Mashud said that team made it back to their hotel safe, and will be headed home in a few days.
The cricket match between Bangladesh and New England was canceled.
"Both teams are deeply affected. As a country, we'll have to look at [security of visiting teams]. It seemed to be a safe haven," New Zealand Cricket chief executive David White said. "I'm sure all of New Zealand will take a look at their approach."
One man has been arrested and charged with murder and two others were taken into custody to determine if they had a role in the shooting.