Survivors of the New Zealand terrorist attack: "Could not open the door"

In the days before the terrorist attack, a new electronic lock had been installed on a door in the Al Noor mosque in Christchurch. This may later prove to be the reason why 42 of the total of 50 who were killed during the attack died in that particular mosque.

Survivors now tell how they escaped the terrorist and ran towards the door. The shooter stood in the middle of the hall. For a large part of the mosque visitors, that door was the only way out. But it could not be opened.

- Everyone pressed behind each other and on each other, says one survivor.

He describes to the news agency AP how he was pushed against the door by everyone who tried to escape. He broke several ribs while desperately trying to open it. Another survivor estimates that 17 people died there - just because the door could not be opened.

According to the survivors, few people knew how the new lock worked - and even less came to terms with the chaos that arose when the shooting began.

Had someone pressed a button next to the door, it would probably have been opened wide and they could have escaped - but few knew, according to a survivor.

Shagaf Khan, chairman of the Muslim community in Canterburry, which oversees the mosque, said the door would normally have been wide open. But because it was colder than usual that day, it was closed. According to him, however, it should not have been locked.

- Any other Friday, that door would have been open. But not this Friday, he says according to AP.

He continues:

- Nobody is preparing for this. We were prepared for a fire or an earthquake, then people would have had time to get out, but this is something completely different. This is not something you have in your crisis plan.

When the door was not opened, one of them finally managed to hit his knee through a window pane in the door. Through that window, several people then managed to get out. But behind them, many had already been hit by the shots.

50 people died during the terrorist attack on two mosques in New Zealand on Friday 14 March. Australian Brenton Tarrant has been charged with the act. The next time the indictment is brought in court is on Friday 5 April.