Accused gunman appears in Christchurch courts as hearses remove bodies from the scene.
Sky has removed its Sky News broadcast to avoid the spread of footage of a terror attack at two mosques in Christchurch.
A gunman involved in the shootings, which left at least 49 people dead, livestreamed the attack in a chilling 17 minute video.
A spokeswoman for SKY TV NZsaid the decision to remove the news channel from the platform was made in light of yesterday's tragic events.
"We made the decision to remove Sky News Australia from our platform while disturbing footage of the shootings was being shown to avoid causing any distress to our viewers," she said.
"It will remain off air until we are confident the footage won't be shared."
The video referenced was a live stream, accessible through posts on at least two social media platforms yesterday afternoon.
Using what appeared to be a helmet-mounted camera, the gunman livestreamed in horrifying detail 17 minutes of the attack on worshippers at the Al Noor Mosque, where at least 41 people died.
A man rests on the ground as he speaks on his mobile phone across the road from mosque in central Christchurch, New Zealand, Friday, March 15, 2019. A witness says a number of people have been killed
Several more worshippers were killed at a second mosque a short time later.
The video was widely available on social media for hours after the horrific attack.
Facebook said it took down a livestream of the shootings and removed the shooter's Facebook and Instagram accounts after being alerted by police.
Twitter and YouTube owner Google also said they were working to remove the footage from their sites.
The furor highlights once again the speed at which graphic and disturbing content from a tragedy can spread around the world and how Silicon Valley tech giants are still grappling with how to prevent that from happening.
Meanwhile, Facebook users are using the platform to show their solidarity with those affected by the attack.
People were updating their profile photos with 'frames' - which added messages like "New Zealand is their home - They are us" to the image.
Another frame said "This is not who we are! Kia Kaha Christchurch".
