Over 1,000 beds await Beslan victims in Vladikavkaz
Interfax. Friday, Sep. 3, 2004, 4:21 PM Moscow Time
MOSCOW. Sept 3 (Interfax) - As many as 1,025 beds have been made available in Vladikavkaz hospitals for victims of the Beslan terror attack, an official in the North Ossetian Health Ministry told Interfax on Friday.
There are a total of 128 wounded in the city's hospitals, 70 of them in the ambulance center, eight in the North Ossetian republic's hospital and 50 in the children's hospital, he said.
The medics have been preparing to provide services for the victims since the start of today's developments in the Beslan school, the official said. He expected gunshot and fragment wounds among the victims.
Lev Dzugayev, head of the information analysis division in the republic's presidential office, told Interfax earlier that over 200 wounded had been taken to Beslan hospitals
Beslan residents detain suspect in hostage crisis to police
Interfax. Friday, Sep. 3, 2004, 4:11 PM Moscow Time
BESLAN. Sept 3 (Interfax) - Residents of the North Ossetian town of Beslan have detained a man suspected of being connected with the hostage-takers.
The suspect has been handed over to the local police, an Interfax correspondent reported
Fire breaks out near Beslan school, in neighboring houses
Interfax. Friday, Sep. 3, 2004, 4:11 PM Moscow Time
BESLAN. Sept 3 (Interfax) - A fire broke out near the school building where hostages were seized as well as in neighboring houses, an Interfax correspondent reported from Beslan.
Although shooting and explosions are continuing near the school, several fire engines have arrived at the scene and ambulances continue to arrive and depart one after another
Moscow hospitals ready to receive people from Beslan
Interfax. Friday, Sep. 3, 2004, 4:01 PM Moscow Time
MOSCOW. Sept 3 (Interfax) - All central Defense Ministry hospitals, including the Burdenko hospital and the Vishnevsky hospital, have reserved beds for victims of the school siege from Beslan, North Ossetia, a Defense Ministry official told Interfax.
Colonel Vyacheslav Sedov, spokesman for the Defense Ministry, said the ministry has deployed a field hospital in the Beslan school.
"A reserve of medical workers has been created, with one doctor per ten wounded people," Sedov said.
An air-mobile hospital arrived in Beslan earlier on the orders of the defense minister, Sedov said. The An-72 plane, which brought the hospital, also brought medical brigades form Rostov-on-Don
Hostages evacuated from Beslan school's gym; school area mined
Interfax. Friday, Sep. 3, 2004, 3:51 PM Moscow Time
BESLAN. Sept 3 (Interfax) - All hostages have now been evacuated from the Beslan school gymnasium, Interfax has learned.
Several terrorists have occupied some of the classrooms, where they are holding out against the special task forces.
"It is impossible to use equipment near the school as the area near the school has been mined," a military source told Interfax
Oil export duty to be $87.9 per tonne from Oct 1 - ministry
Interfax. Friday, Sep. 3, 2004, 3:51 PM Moscow Time
MOSCOW. Sept 3 (Interfax) - The interdepartmental commission for foreign trade protection and customs tariff policy approved an increase in the oil export duty to $87.9 per tonne from October 1 at a meeting on Friday, and will recommend to the government to approve this increase, the press service of the Economic Development and Trade Ministry told Interfax.
The current oil export duty is $69.9 per tonne.
The commission also approved an increase in the export duty on oil products from $45.4 per tonne at present to $57.0 per tonne, which is 65% of the duty on oil. At the same time, a source in the Economic Development and Trade Ministry said that work will continue on developing a mechanism for setting the export duty on oil products.
The new export duty on oil products will come into effect a month after the official publication of the corresponding government resolution and will remain in place for two months
Rebels hiding in house near N.Ossetia school building
Interfax. Friday, Sep. 3, 2004, 3:41 PM Moscow Time
BESLAN. Sept 3 (Interfax-South) - A small group of rebels who have managed to escape from the school building in Beslan are holding out in a house within the limits of the first ring of cordons, a sources in the crisis headquarters told Interfax.
He said the house has been encircled by policemen.
An Interfax correspondent reported that shooting is continuing near the school building. Two explosions, presumably caused by fire from a grenade launcher, could be heard. Many vehicles, including ambulances and private cars, are arriving at the schoolyard despite shooting
Over 200 wounded hospitalized in Beslan - official
Interfax. Friday, Sep. 3, 2004, 3:31 PM Moscow Time
BESLAN. Sept 3 (Interfax) - Over 200 people wounded in the Beslan school standoff were hospitalized as of 3:00 p.m. on Friday, Lev Dzugayev, the head of the presidential information department, told Interfax.
Some wounded have been taken to Vladikavkaz hospitals, he said
Three ex hostages taken to central hospital in Vladikavkaz
Interfax. Friday, Sep. 3, 2004, 3:21 PM Moscow Time
ROSTOV-ON-DON. Sept 3 (Interfax-South) - Three former hostages from the school in Beslan have been admitted at the central hospital in Vladikavkaz - one child and two men. A spokesman for the hospital administration said all three are in a serious state
No storming of Beslan was planned- Ossetian Interior Ministry
Interfax. Friday, Sep. 3, 2004, 3:11 PM Moscow Time
BESLAN. Sept 3 (Interfax) - No preparations were made to storm the school seized by terrorists in Beslan over the past couple of days, the Ossetian Interior Ministry told Interfax.
"This option [storming the school] was rejected from the very beginning as there were many children in the school," he said
N.Ossetian police alerted to block routes of terrorists' retreat
Interfax. Friday, Sep. 3, 2004, 3:01 PM Moscow Time
VLADIKAVKAZ. Sept 3 (Interfax) - The North Ossetian police have been alerted to block the routes of the terrorists' possible retreat, the North Ossetian Interior Ministry told Interfax.
The situation in North Ossetia, except in Beslan, is calm, an Interior Ministry official said
Special forces almost fully control school in Beslan - crisis HQ
Interfax. Friday, Sep. 3, 2004, 2:51 PM Moscow Time
BESLAN. Sept 3 (Interfax) - Russian special forces have control of most of the school where hundreds of hostages have been held by gunmen for two days, the crisis headquarters told Interfax.
Shooting around the school is calming down, an Interfax correspondent reports. Special troops are in the building. Several hostage-takers who escaped from the building are trying to flee. Some of them are shooting sporadically.
NTV television reported that several rebels wearing civilian clothes are trying to disappear in Beslan's residential areas.
NTV said special forces are combing residential areas in search for terrorists
Rescuers were injured trying to save people in Beslan - minister
Interfax. Friday, Sep. 3, 2004, 2:51 PM Moscow Time
MOSCOW. Sept 3 (Interfax) - Several officers of the Emergency Situations Ministry were injured trying to help child hostages in Beslan, Emergency Situations Minister Sergei Shoigu told reporters.
He said that after the terrorists agreed that hostages could be led away several officers entered the building. At the same time there were two explosions in a remote part of the building and hostages started fleeing from the school. The hostage-takers started shooting randomly at them, Shoigu said.
At that moment the officers trying to save the people were hit by the hostage-takers' bullets, he said
Most children held by terrorists alive
Interfax. Friday, Sep. 3, 2004, 2:41 PM Moscow Time
BESLAN. Sept 3 (Interfax) - Most of the children taken hostage in Beslan are alive, according to sources in the North Ossetian Interior Ministry.
Injuries were suffered by children in that group which had run out of the school building and came under terrorist fire. The children who remained in the school building mostly did not suffer