Ardern offers 'huge condolences' after Christchurch shooting victim dies in hospital

A Turkish man who was wounded in the Christchurch mosque attacks has died in hospital, raising the death toll of New Zealand's worst mass shooting to 51.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Source: AP

The death toll from the deadly Christchurch terror attacks has increased to 51 after a Turkish man who was wounded in the mosque shooting died in hospital overnight. 

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern offered her "huge condolences" to the man's family on Friday.

"It now brings the death toll of an already extraordinary act of terrorism to 51," she said.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Source: AP


"My thoughts are with his family, but I also want to acknowledge that there will be a huge sense of loss for the medical staff who worked so hard to look after so many."

Turkey's government overnight announced that citizen Zekeriya Tuyan has died from the wounds he sustained in the 15 March terror attacks that killed 50 and injured 50 more.

Turkish Foreign Mevlut Cavusoglu offered Mr Tuyan's family condolences on Twitter. 

New Zealand police separately confirmed a 46-year-old man who had been in critical condition in Christchurch's public hospital since the shootings had died.




He had been injured at the Al Noor mosque, the first of two sites attacked on the day, they said.

Mr Tuyan's brother told Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency that the 46-year-old had been taken to surgery on Thursday but he could not be saved.

"He had surgery today, they couldn't stop the bleeding, so we lost him. We were happy because we thought it was going well, he had been battling for 50 days," he said, according to Anadolu.



New Zealand media earlier reported Mr Tuyan's parents had flown in from Turkey to help care for him and he's understood to have been the last victim recovering in Christchurch Hospital.

Australian white supremacist Brenton Tarrant, 28, faces 50 counts of murder and 38 of attempted murder over the shootings.



He is due to appear again in court next month.

Police on Friday declined to comment if further charges were pending.


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Ardern offers 'huge condolences' after Christchurch shooting victim dies in hospital | SBS News