Who will take care of my baby, asks pregnant wife of man killed in NZ attacks

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Who will take care of my baby, asks pregnant wife of man killed in NZ attacks
People embrace near Masjid Al Noor mosque in Christchurch

She was supposed to travel to New Zealand this month.

By Reuters

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Published: Wed 20 Mar 2019, 9:40 AM

Last updated: Wed 20 Mar 2019, 3:18 PM

The bodies of two victims from New Zealand's mosques mass shooting were carried in open caskets on the shoulders of mourners into a large tent at Christchurch's Memorial Park Cemetery on Wednesday - the first burials of the 50 victims.
Wrapped in white cloth, the bodies were laid to face Holy City of Makkah, and after jenazah (funeral) prays, were carried towards their freshly dug graves.
Mohammad Omar Faruk, 36, was one of the new arrivals. Faruk was working as a welder in Singapore but leapt at the opportunity to come to New Zealand where working conditions were better and permanent residency was possible.
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Faruk, whose wife in Bangladesh is three months pregnant, was also killed at Al Noor mosque.
"My husband had so many dreams for our baby," said Sanjida Zaman, 19. "He dreamed of us being moved to New Zealand in a few years and my baby will get education there. What will happen to baby? Who will take care of my baby? I just can't think."
Faruk's employer, Rob van Peer, said he had allowed his team to leave early last Friday after they finished a job by lunchtime, meaning Faruk could attend Friday prayers.
Van Peer said Faruk was loved by his colleagues for his loyal and friendly personality and fast, precise welds.
Zakaria Bhuiyan, a welder at another engineering firm, also died.
His wife, Rina Akhtar, 27, was at Dhaka airport on Wednesday, waiting to fly to New Zealand to bring her husband's body back to Bangladesh.
"End of this month, I was supposed to get a visa to travel to New Zealand. We were so excited. My husband told me he could not wait to show me the country," she told Reuters.
"All my hopes and dreams are shattered. I only pray no one ever lose their loved ones this way." 


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