Close to NZD 7.5 million donated to families of mosque shooting in NZ

Christchurch: More than NZD 10.8 million (USD 7.4 million) in public donations has been received so far to help families of the 50 people killed in New Zealand's mosque shootings, according to a pair of fund-raising websites.

A support fund on New Zealand site GiveaLittle.co.nz had received NZD 8,271,847 from more than 91,000 donors as of Sunday, while LaunchGood.com, a global crowdfunding platform focused on Muslims, had netted NZD 2,546,126 from over 40,000 donors.

The slaughter of 50 people at Friday prayers in two Christchurch mosques on March 15 shocked the normally laid-back country and prompted global horror, heightened by the gunman's cold-blooded livestreaming of the massacre.

Since then, New Zealanders have responded with an outpouring of support for the country's small Muslim community.

New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said last week that the country would cover the costs of burying the 50 victims as well as "repatriation costs for any family members who would like to move their loved ones away from New Zealand."

The attack also left dozens of people injured, some critically.

Brenton Tarrant, a 28-year-old Australian white supremacist, was arrested within minutes of the massacre and has been charged with murder.