It was a night that promised to bring 'joy and light' to Sydney's iconic Bondi Beach as crowds of Jewish families gathered at a park to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah, also known as the festival of light. They were among thousands of other swimmers, surfers and sunbathers who had flocked to Australia's most famous beach on a scorching summer's afternoon.
But not long after the Hanukkah event kicked off at 17:00 local time and the first free donuts were doled out, festive music was drowned out by the sounds of screams and the echo of gunshots.
It's unclear exactly when the first shot was fired, but the initial call to police was made at 18:47. In the minutes that followed, two gunmen would kill at least 15 people, and injure dozens more, authorities said.
A local high school teacher, Chavi, told the BBC she dropped to the ground to protect her baby as 'bullets were flying above us'.
'It was pandemonium and chaos,' another attendee, who identified himself as Barry, said as he described watching a throng of people trying to escape the scene that had suddenly devolved into a nightmare.
In one video verified by the BBC, upbeat music from the Hanukkah event can still be heard in the background as people crouch down and shots are heard, interspersed between shrieks. The eerily jubilant music continues playing while the camera pans over the grass, revealing prostrate bodies completely still, their condition unclear.
Separate footage shows groups of people lying atop one another on the grass, as one woman tries to cover a young child's head with her hand. Panic soon spread from the park to the sand, where videos show terrified beachgoers sprinting away from the gunfire. Screams, honking car horns, and ambulance sirens fill the air in the next chaotic minutes. Some cars crashed as people desperately tried to get away, witnesses have told the BBC.
A nearly 11-minute video verified by the BBC provides a timeline of the attack. It begins as the gunmen make their way across Campbell Parade, the long stretch of road that lines the beach, and onto a pedestrian bridge above the park where the Hanukkah event was taking place. Two men, identified as Sajid Akram, 50, and his son Naveed, 24, allegedly used the elevated position to carry out the attack, using 'two sporting shotguns'.
Witness accounts from the scene highlight the bravery of individuals like Ahmed al Ahmed, who intervened during the attack, wresting a firearm from one of the gunmen and aiding the police.
The investigation into the gunmen's motives is ongoing, with reports emerging of potential ties to extremist groups. In the aftermath of this tragedy, the community mourns the lives lost and reflects on the fragility of safety during moments meant for celebration.
But not long after the Hanukkah event kicked off at 17:00 local time and the first free donuts were doled out, festive music was drowned out by the sounds of screams and the echo of gunshots.
It's unclear exactly when the first shot was fired, but the initial call to police was made at 18:47. In the minutes that followed, two gunmen would kill at least 15 people, and injure dozens more, authorities said.
A local high school teacher, Chavi, told the BBC she dropped to the ground to protect her baby as 'bullets were flying above us'.
'It was pandemonium and chaos,' another attendee, who identified himself as Barry, said as he described watching a throng of people trying to escape the scene that had suddenly devolved into a nightmare.
In one video verified by the BBC, upbeat music from the Hanukkah event can still be heard in the background as people crouch down and shots are heard, interspersed between shrieks. The eerily jubilant music continues playing while the camera pans over the grass, revealing prostrate bodies completely still, their condition unclear.
Separate footage shows groups of people lying atop one another on the grass, as one woman tries to cover a young child's head with her hand. Panic soon spread from the park to the sand, where videos show terrified beachgoers sprinting away from the gunfire. Screams, honking car horns, and ambulance sirens fill the air in the next chaotic minutes. Some cars crashed as people desperately tried to get away, witnesses have told the BBC.
A nearly 11-minute video verified by the BBC provides a timeline of the attack. It begins as the gunmen make their way across Campbell Parade, the long stretch of road that lines the beach, and onto a pedestrian bridge above the park where the Hanukkah event was taking place. Two men, identified as Sajid Akram, 50, and his son Naveed, 24, allegedly used the elevated position to carry out the attack, using 'two sporting shotguns'.
Witness accounts from the scene highlight the bravery of individuals like Ahmed al Ahmed, who intervened during the attack, wresting a firearm from one of the gunmen and aiding the police.
The investigation into the gunmen's motives is ongoing, with reports emerging of potential ties to extremist groups. In the aftermath of this tragedy, the community mourns the lives lost and reflects on the fragility of safety during moments meant for celebration.
