The aunt of a young girl killed in the Bondi Beach massacre has spoken of her unbearable grief, revealing she could not stop screaming when she learned her niece had died from her wounds.
A Family Celebration Turns to Tragedy
Ten-year-old Matilda and her six-year-old sister Summer were with their parents, Valentina and Michael, at a 'Chanukah by the Sea' event on Sydney's iconic Bondi Beach last Sunday evening. At around 6.40pm, the festive gathering was shattered when Naveed Akram, 24, and his father Sajid, 50, allegedly opened fire on the crowd.
The attack resulted in fourteen people dying at the scene, with a further 42 injured victims rushed to hospitals across Sydney. Matilda, who was shot in the stomach, was among those who later died in hospital, bringing the total death toll to 16.
Her younger sister Summer escaped physical injury and was quickly removed from the beach. However, she witnessed her sister being shot and was left repeatedly asking, 'Is my sister dead?'.
'I Thought She Might Lose Her Leg'
The girls' aunt, identified as Lina, told the Daily Mail that the family's initial hope was cruelly extinguished. She first received a call from Matilda's grandmother, who said the girl had been shot, but they believed it was in the leg.
'I thought she might lose her leg, people can live without legs and I thought I'd push her around in a wheelchair if she needed - whatever happened, we'd look after her,' Lina said.
That fragile hope was destroyed when Matilda's mother called with the devastating news. 'The doctors couldn't save her, she died,' she was told. Lina described being so shocked she could not stop screaming. 'I asked her to tell me again and again, and I was saying 'it can't be, it's not real',' she recalled. 'I still can't believe it's real.'
Remembering a 'Beautiful, Sweet, Happy Young Girl'
Lina remembered Matilda as a joyful, affectionate child who loved school and had many friends. She shared that the family's last happy photo together was taken just two weeks earlier at Sydney Zoo. 'In that moment, you're not thinking it's the last photo but then reality hits,' she said.
'I hope it's never happening again to any family. We're going through beyond devastation,' Lina added. 'Matilda was a beautiful, sweet, happy young girl.'
An online fundraiser set up by Matilda's language teacher, Irina Goodhew, to support her mother raised almost $90,000 within hours. Ms Goodhew described Matilda as 'a bright, joyful, and spirited child who brought light to everyone around her.'
The victims of the attack included several prominent members of the local Jewish community. Among them were British-born Rabbi Eli Schlanger, 41, and Peter Meagher, a rugby club manager who was working as a freelance photographer at the event.
Police Investigation and Community Call for Calm
During the incident, Sajid Akram was shot dead by police. His son, Naveed Akram, was also shot and remains in hospital under police guard in a critical condition. Police have stated he is expected to survive and will 'likely' face criminal charges.
NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon confirmed that Sajid Akram held a category AB firearms licence, for which he was eligible as a member of a gun club. Commissioner Lanyon urged for calm in the community, stating: 'Retribution or acts against any part of any community will not be accepted. This is a time for the community to come together.'
Hundreds of people attended a memorial at Bondi Pavilion on Monday evening to honour those killed in the tragedy, as the city continues to grapple with the aftermath of the violence that turned its most famous beach into a scene of chaos and loss.
