As the first burials take place today, police say the two mosques targeted in the attack will reopen this week
A police spokesperson said staff were working to allow the Muslim community back into the Deans Ave mosque on Friday for Friday prayers and that they hoped to be able to re-open the Linwood Ave mosque to the public later this week.
"Police have been working relentlessly, doing everything in our power to gather all appropriate evidence from what are active crime scenes so we can allow people to return to the mosques as quickly as possible.
"Police will continue to maintain a presence at both mosques for the public's reassurance and safety."
- Scroll down for live updates in the wake of the attack
The first burials of the victims of Friday's attacks began today. Thirty-five bodies have now been officially identified and can be released to families.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said this afternoon that she knew the process of returning bodies to families had been "difficult and frustrating and slow from the perspective of family members", but the people working behind the scenes were doing so with urgency.
The PM spoke to media during her second visit to the city since the attacks and has also confirmed there will be a two-minute silence on Friday.
Christchurch Hospital staff have also spoken of their experiences of dealing with the injured, while Green MP Golriz Ghahraman has challenged Parliament to "change the way we do politics" in the aftermath of the terror attacks.
Read more:
- 'They are us': Read about the victims
- Victims honoured, questions asked
- Opinion: 'I cannot forgive the rhetoric that got us here'
- Opinion: Four things we can do after the attacks
Follow RNZ's live blog here:
