Source : NEW INDIAN EXPRESS NEWS
Ten people were killed in a shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Sunday, police said, without confirming whether the toll included the attacker.
The shooting occurred on the first night of the eight-day Jewish festival of Hanukkah. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the gunmen opened fire shortly after 6:30 pm (Australian time) as hundreds had gathered on the beach for a seaside event marking the festival’s start.
National broadcaster ABC reported that one of the shooters was among the dead and that 12 additional people were wounded.
A New South Wales state police statement said on Sunday two people had been taken into custody. Media reported the two arrested were shooters.
Several people were reported shot and ambulances have responded.
A witness told AFP that he saw “two shooters in black” at the scene.
“There was a shooting, two shooters in black with semi-automatic rifles,” Timothy Brant-Coles told AFP from the Sydney tourist hotspot.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said a shooting Sunday at Sydney’s Bondi beach was “shocking and distressing.”
“Police and emergency responders are on the ground working to save lives. My thoughts are with every person affected,” Albanese said in a statement shared by his office.
“I urge people in the vicinity to follow information from the (New South Wales) Police,” he said.
The New South Wales Ambulance Service added that multiple people were treated at the scene before being taken to different Sydney hospitals.
The head of Australia’s Jewish Association said that the shooting during the Hanukkah event was a “tragedy but entirely foreseeable.”
“The Albanese government was warned so many times but failed to take adequate actions to protect the Jewish community,” Robert Gregory told AFP.
A major Australian Muslim organisation also condemned the “horrific” shooting incident.
“Our hearts, thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families, and all those who witnessed or were affected by this deeply traumatic attack,” the Australian National Imams Council said in a statement.
“This is a moment for all Australians, including the Australian Muslim community, to stand together in unity, compassion, and solidarity,” they added.
SOURCE :- NEW INDIAN EXPRESS
