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Eyewitnesses reported being shot The fear was laid bare as they held their children and saw “bodies everywhere on the floor” during Sunday’s terrorist attack on Bondi Beach.
Gunmen opened fire during the celebration The famous first day of Hanukkah sydney On the beach, at least 15 people died and 40 were injured, including two Police Officer.
Australian officials described it as a targeted anti-Semitic attack and an act of terrorism. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the shooting, calling it a “vicious act” of anti-Semitism.
One of the suspected shooters was also killed, while the other is in critical condition. Police said the gunmen were father and son.
AustraliaThe country, one of the safest countries in the world, is in shock as horrifying eyewitness accounts are emerging from there. mass shooting,
A father of two was celebrating Hanukkah with his wife and children when he said he was hit in the back with gunshots.
Dove, who did not share his last name, said Wire: “I just ran, grabbed my kids and ran down to the beach and hid behind the wall. My wife and two other kids actually ran in a different direction and hid somewhere else.
“It was a very stressful time. None of us had our phones. So until we all managed to put it back together and then I was at the Surf Lifesavers Club and I came back down looking for them.
“And there are bodies all over the floor, like it was not something you could ever, in a million years, believe was Bondi Beach.
“My back got hit, some shrapnel. So I came to the hospital. They dug it all out and bandaged me up. But I’m one of the lucky ones. It was a terrible incident for everybody.”
Witnesses said the shooting on the famous beach, which was packed on a summer evening, lasted about 10 minutes, sending hundreds of people scattering across the sandbank and into surrounding streets and parks. Police said about 1,000 people had attended the Hanukkah event.
“In the beginning, you just think, it’s a beautiful day by the beach,” said Bondi resident Grace Matthews. “You think people are just having a good time. Then more people run in and they say there’s a shooter, mass shootings are happening, and they’re killing people.”
Tourists also reported that they had heard what they thought to be fireworks before running for shelter.
German tourist Marie tells Australian outlet 9 news: “We sat for two minutes, and then the shooting started. We thought it was fireworks, but at some point people started screaming and there were police cars, so we took all our stuff and hid in the corner… [Then] We took off our shoes and started running down the street…
“I thought we’d probably just stay there and die. It was really scary.”
But amidst the terror there were also some incredible acts of bravery.
Authorities said far more people would have been killed had it not been for a bystander, identified by local media as fruit shop owner Ahmed al-Ahmed. The 43-year-old man was filmed attacking a suspected gunman from behind, grappling with him and snatching the rifle from his hands.
New South Wales state Premier Chris Minns said, “Many people are alive tonight as a result of their bravery.” He called the bystander “a real hero.”
A three-year-old girl was also shot by a stranger, according to her parents, who recalled the terrifying moment when they could not find their child as bullets flew “all around”.
Local Wayne, who did not share his last name, said he grabbed his other daughter, Capri, and “just laid on top of her” under a table when the shooting began.
But his wife Vanessa, who was elsewhere on the beach, called a minute later and asked if he had their three-year-old Gigi. “I’m like, ‘I don’t have Gigi,’ she didn’t have Gigi, and then total panic hit,” she said. sky news australia,
Vanessa said she has started searching for her daughter. She told the broadcaster: “There were bullets all around me. I could just scream: ‘Where is my family? Where is my little girl?'”
When shooting stopped, Wayne began searching for Gigi. “There was just blood and bodies everywhere,” he said. “She was wearing a pink skirt and I saw this woman lying on top of her.”
The woman named Jess herself was shot and was covered in blood. But thanks to his protection, Gigi was safe.
“I said: ‘You saved my daughter’s life.’ I said: “I’ll be indebted to you for the rest of my life,” Wayne said.
Richard Hasten, who also attended the Hanukkah event with his family, recalled that he had enjoyed the festivities before he heard gunshots and ran for cover.
“I was laying down and there was a woman right in front of me and I could see she was bleeding right in front of me… so I took my shirt off to stop the bleeding,” he told Australian outlet ABC, adding that he believed he was now “fine.”
People in the local area recalled the moment they heard gunfire and ran for whatever shelter they could find.
A Briton said he was in his apartment when he heard what he thought were fireworks, but when he looked out his window, he saw a man firing from the top of a white car and people being shot.
Finn Green told BBC That he saw people “running and screaming”, running towards his building to hide.
He said he immediately closed his curtains and ran to hide in his closet.