Published on 07:21 AM, March 15, 2019

Players back at team hotel after mosque attack, set to fly tomorrow

Bangladesh players were left distraught by the incident. Photo: Mazhar Uddin

 

Updates: 

The players are set to fly from New Zealand tomorrow at 12pm local time (5am BDT).

The players were later escorted back to the team hotel.

Between nine and 27 people are believed to be dead in the incident while 20-30 others are reportedly injured.

Third Test cancelled following attacks.

 

Gun attack at Christchurch mosque leaves players distraught

Bangladesh cricket team survived a close shave following a gun attack inside a mosque in Christchurch today.

Members of the Bangladesh Cricket Team were going to the Masjid Al Noor in Christchurch to offer their Jumma prayers. Just when they were about to enter the mosque, a lady warned them that a gun attack was going on inside the mosque. The distraught Bangladesh players got inside a bus and laid down on the floor after the warning.

"They were on the bus, which was just pulling up to the mosque when the shooting begun," Mario Villavarayen, strength and conditioning coach of the Bangladesh Cricket Team, told Reuters in a message.

The Bangladesh players managed to safely make their way back to the Hagley Oval cricket ground -- a kilometre away from the mosque where the attack took place --but they are understandably left very scared by the incident. The players have been told to remain on the stadium premises in the aftermath of the attacks. It is believed that there were several attacks at seperate places.  

Attacks had been reported in three mosques and a car bomb was found in close vicinity of another.