SYDNEY — Hundreds of people swim and paddle surfboards off Australia’s Bondi Beach to honor the 15 people shot and killed at a Jewish festival last week. “They slaughtered innocent victims, and today I’m swimming out there and being part of my community again to bring back the light,” security consultant Jason Carr tells AFP.

With the young man's help, Xu, a 31-year-old recent graduate from Melbourne, and his friend climbed onto the rescue board and were both taken to the beach. When the first shots were fired by the alleged gunmen Naveed and Sajid Akram, Xu's first instinct was that it was to stay in the water, thinking the sand was more unpredictable.

Arm in arm along the shoreline, locals observed two minutes’ silence in ‘cathartic’ effort to unite the community

At least 15 people were killed and dozens of others wounded on Sunday in a shooting at the beach, the police said.