The other two victims, Mohd Tarmizi Shuib and Muhammad Nazril Hisham Omar, are also being treated at Christchurch Hospital. The Malaysian foreign ministry confirmed on March 21 that Tarmizi’s 17-year-old son, Muhammad Haziq bin Mohd Tarmizi, who was missing after the attack, was killed in the shooting.

In Otago, Malaysian student Halimizatun Ishak, 21, told the South China Morning Post her family was “really close” to the victims who were killed in the Friday shootings.

“I was and am still in shock. I knew most of the victims. They really felt like blood family,” she said.

Halimizatun said her family was especially close to 71-year-old Afghan refugee Haji Daoud, who called out “Hello, brother” at the door of Al Noor mosque before the gunman opened fire.

“[Daoud and Husna] were all very loving regardless of ethnicity and would always help around the mosque. [They] would welcome anyone who passed by, even if they didn’t enter the mosque. They always gave off a warm vibe,” Halimizatun said.

The University of Otago student said she was afraid the attack “might trigger others to do similar things”.

“We now walk out with such caution and anxiety, something we never had to do before,” she said.

Selina Muralitharan, a 26-year-old Malaysian pursuing a master’s in education at Christchurch’s University of Canterbury, said the attacks were “a truly shocking ordeal”.

“The loss of some of our Malaysian and Indonesian brothers has truly been difficult to process,” she said. “However, the people of Christchurch have been really kind and have really stepped up to aid the people affected by this attack.”

Muralitharan commended New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern for “standing with the people” and being “sensitive to the needs of the Muslim community”.

She said all assignments had been cancelled or postponed at her university and students were informed about additional support provided by student care offices.

Australian national Brenton Tarrant, 28, who was charged with one count of murder in connection with the Christchurch massacre, wrote in his anti-immigrant manifesto that he originally planned to attack the Al Huda Mosque in Dunedin, a city in the Otago region that is about a five-hour drive from Christchurch.

“The Malaysians here in Otago also are badly affected by this incident, especially the Muslim Malaysians,” said Dalina Zulkhairi, president of the Otago Malaysian Liaison Bureau.

Dalina, 27, who is Muslim, said those who lived in Otago still felt “traumatised and paranoid”.

“It feels weird going outside after what had happened in Christchurch and learning that the initial target was the Dunedin mosque, which is just a five-minute walk from my house,” she said.

“But the love and support from the locals here are really amazing. It’s sad and beautiful at the same time. In the end, love will always win. This incident actually makes us closer.”

Additional reporting by Francine Chen