Greenland grieves last week’s violent family tragedy in Nutaarmiut

Horror and shock over last week’s triple-murder on the northwestern coast of Greenland have thrown the entire island into deep mourning.

All of Greenland’s red and white flags were lowered to half mast Feb. 9 and everyone on the island observed two minutes of silence.

Then, this past weekend, mourners in Nuuk brought hundreds flowers to a local hall in memory of the eight-year-old girl and two women, 31 and 75, who were bludgeoned to death with a hammer by a family member Feb. 8 in the tiny island community of Nutaarmiut.

Four boxes of flowers, wreaths, small teddy bears, candles and cards expressing condolences to the surviving members of the family were collected in Nuuk, reported Greenland’s newspaper, Sermitsiaq AG.

The 75-year-old woman, who was “very popular” in the village of 46, leaves behind seven children as well as numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Her eighth child, the 31-year-old woman, was disabled and had difficulty speaking and walking. Her body was found in her bed Feb. 8 with the body of her eight-year-old daughter.

The three women were all found in their beds “as if they were still asleep,” Sermitsiaq AG reported.

Another woman and her daughter narrowly escaped the attack.

Two badly injured men, 32 and 81, were medevaced to Denmark, where they remain in hospital.

Arnánguak Blytmann, the vice-president of Greenland’s Atassut Party, said the tragedy is a wake-up call for the Greenland government to supply more policing and counselling services in remote settlements.

A 22-year-old man now faces three counts of murder and four counts of attempted murder.

According to the most recent statistics, nine people were murdered in Greenland in 2009, with 21 attempted murders.