'Many precious people died': Imam reeling after Christchurch mosque shootings

An imam at one of the two Christchurch, New Zealand, mosques targeted by a gunman remains haunted by what he saw and the lives lost as burial ceremonies are set to proceed for some of the 50 victims Tuesday.

Alabi Lateef Zirullah,an imam at the Linwood mosque, sayshis eyes revealhis exhaustion: "I sleep, I wake up, I sleep, I wake up."

When he tries to sleep, he finds himself thinking back to Friday, when a shooter targeted their mosque, and another, as people gathered to pray.

Zirullah, who also goes byLateef Alabi, says he saw the shooter approach. Hequickly tried to dragpeople to the floor, shouting, "'Go down.Go down."

The shooter never made it all the way into the mosque, he says, but seven people were killed at Linwood.

More may havedied were it not for the actions of Abdul Aziz, who pursued the shooter to try todraw him away from the mosque.

The details of the day are still vivid,Zirullahsays, describing a moment when he was cradling a man with one handand calling an ambulance with the other.

"It's my first time in my life to see such things," he says, his head in his hand."First time."

The violent, terrifying scene has scarred both those who were atthe mosquesand thosecalled to help atLinwoodand the Al-Noor mosque, where dozens were killed.

"There was a river of blood coming out of the mosque," says ambulance officer Paul Bennett. "That's a scene that you don't forget."

A 28-year-old from Australiahas been charged with murder in connection with the attacks, which also left dozens wounded. More charges are expected in the days ahead, officials say.

Families of victims, meanwhile, are left waiting for bodies to be released so they can bury their loved ones.

Zahid Ismail, whose brother Junaid is among the dead, says it's time for that process to move forward.

"I still wantto have Junaid back to us so we can bury him," Zahid says of his brother, a father of three. "And that has not had any further advancements at all."

A mass burial for some of the dead is expected in Christchurch later this week, though the precise timing is not yet clear.

Zirullahhopes the burials, when they happen, will bring some relief to a shattered community.

"Many precious people died," he says.

Members of the Muslim community in New Zealandand even from abroad have come together to help ready the bodies for burial.

Zirullah won't be leading the servicehe's far too traumatized for thatbut he will be there to mourn with his community.