‘a river of blood’
A ‘‘river of blood’’ met the first paramedics on the scene of Christchurch’s mosque massacres.
St John Ambulance paramedics and 111 operators talked publicly about their experience for the first time yesterday.
Ambulance officer Paul Bennett said he was greeted with the most horrific scene he had ever witnessed when he arrived at the Al Noor Mosque in Deans Ave on Friday.
‘‘There was a river of blood coming out of the mosque and that’s a scene that you don’t forgot.’’
The blood was ‘‘literally flowing off the terracotta tiles’’ and he was unable to get the stretcher past the bodies.
‘‘I didn’t go into the mosque because I couldn’t get in ... because there were fatalities in the way. We ended up having to lift the bodies over the top of other bodies on to our stretchers. ‘‘There was a lot of blood.’’ Forty-two people died at the mosque in Deans Ave, seven at the Linwood mosque and one in hospital.
Bennett said he worked during the February 2011 earthquakes but because that event was Mother Nature, he was able to explain it in his head.
‘‘The scene at Deans Ave was about hatred. That’s the feeling I got from the Deans Ave site.’’
Karen Jackson, a paramedic who went into the Linwood mosque with members of the armed offenders squad, said there were bodies on the floor.
‘‘The walking wounded were not there because everyone was already deceased or critical.’’
She had to step over bodies, and had trouble finding positions between the blood and the bodies to treat people.
Dawn Lucas, a 111 emergency medical dispatcher, said she realised the magnitude of the situation when she had one job on her screen and then blinked and there were another seven sitting there. She ended up with 42 calls involving the shootings.
Jason Watson, an intensive care paramedic and shift supervisor, was outside the Deans Ave mosque directing ambulances and St John staff.
It was his job to bring a sense
The Christchurch terror attack has left Arifah Cupido with the most ‘‘challenging’’ job of her teaching career.
As the head teacher at Haleema Kindergarten in Lower Hutt, she has to tell 33 pupils why the kindergarten is closed.
Haleema is closed ‘‘until further notice’’ on police advice but she had been in contact with the Ministry of Education about what to tell the children.
‘‘We have been advised to use language that is simple and to be honest. But we have to balance it with an assurance that they are safe with adults.’’
Originally from South Africa, Cupido never expected to have to explain to children in New Zealand that people had been targeted due to their religion. Once the shock of the massacre in Christchurch had set in, she had been feeling insecure.
Police had been dropping in regularly and she said that had been very reassuring.
One police officer had even offered to drive parents or children who felt scared.
‘‘That is really magnificent.’’ She said the local response had been overwhelmingly supportive.
The kindergarten is next to a mosque and hundreds of floral tributes and notes of support had shown how much people care.
Someone had put ‘‘Assalamu Alaykum’’ in gold lettering on the wall. Meaning ‘‘let peace be with you’’, the message was one Cupido would always cherish.
Although the kindergarten is Muslim based, the children come from a wide range of ethnic and religious backgrounds.
The kindergarten was closed yesterday but parents were dropping in to show their support to staff. Pesi Vaioleti said her son, Paula, ‘‘loves’’ the kindergarten and was upset it was closed.
Although she is Tongan and a Latter Day Saint, she wanted Paula to accept all cultures and religions. The events in Christchurch had left her lost for words and she wanted to check that the staff were OK.
‘‘I am heartbroken to see such a horrific event and to see the hatred which had such an effect on our children.’’
The floral tributes had attracted plenty of local interest including from Eli O’Carroll, who has a sister in Christchurch close to the shooting. ‘‘It is very scary to be in a country where you hardly ever see a gun and something like this happens.’’
He has close Muslim friends and his thoughts were with them.
‘‘I don’t know what to say. I do not have any words; it is such a heinous crime.’’
Cupido is looking forward to reopening and getting back to normality as quickly as possible.