HYDERABAD: A third resident from Telangana, a 25-year-old aviation student has been confirmed dead by the Indian mission in New Zealand in the early hours of Sunday.
Hyderabad-based Ozair Kadir's name figured in the list of the deceased released by the Indian High Commission in New Zealand.
"With very heavy heart we share the news of loss of precious lives of our 5 nationals in ghastly terror attack in #Christchurch -- Mr. Maheboob Khokhar, Mr. Ramiz Vora, Mr. Asif Vora, Ms Ansi Alibava, Mr. Ozair Kadir, @kohli_sanjiv @MEAIndia @SushmaSwaraj," the Indian High Commission tweeted.
According to Indian Social and Cultural Club - Christchurch (ISCC), who released a description of the deceased on their Facebook page, 25-year-old Kadir was a student at an aviation college and "he aspired to be a commercial pilot". A look at Kadir's Indian passport shows that his place of birth is Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. His father Kadir Habib and mother Izzath Mahboob presumably stay at their home at Darushifa crossoad in Noorkhan Bazar area of Hyderabad.
Apart from that, Auckland-based Ashar Ali Khan, who was a close friend of one of the deceased Farahj Ahsan from Hyderabad, confirmed (with names) that at least five from Hyderabad and Telangana escaped unscathed from the attack, the toll of which has gone up to 50. Khan said that Tolichowki residents Nauman and Hasan, Mohammed Khwaja from Moula Ali, Hyderabad-based Mohammed Mazahr, who is a professor of architecture of a polytechnic college in Christchurch, all escaped and were safe.
Khan's recount also included the name of Kodad-based Mohammed Abdul Aleem, who is also the treasurer of one of the mosques which was attacked.
On Saturday, confirmation came through that Farahj Ahsan who had been missing since the day of the attack, had died on the spot on Friday in a bid to save his friend. Farhaj's wife Isha Ahsan confirmed the same to her father-in-law on Saturday evening. He was father to a three-year-old son and six-month-old daughter.
The other deceased was 47-year-old restaurateur, Imran Ahmed Khan who was at the Linwood Mosque to attend the Friday prayers on the day of the attack. The terrorist Brenton Tarrant also attacked the Masjid Al Noor in Christchurch. Imran, a native of Karimnagar, had moved to New Zealand in 2002 and was running a restaurant in Christchurch.
According to the ICRC website, Imran had last contacted his wife before leaving for the mosque. A photo, reportedly of Khan, is doing rounds on social media, showing a man in a black T-shirt and trousers covered in blood, slumped unconscious against a man wearing a grey mushroom who is talking on the phone.