Posted on 09/03/2004 6:21:32 AM PDT by SpikeMike
Bloody end to Russia school siege Live BBC coverage
Russian troops have stormed the school in North Ossetia where hundreds of children and adults have been held hostage since Wednesday. Witnesses report seeing dozens of bodies in the school gym, after hearing heavy gunfire and loud explosions throughout the morning.
Ambulances rushed scores of casualties to nearby hospitals.
Unconfirmed reports say that at least 10 people have been killed and up to 200 wounded.
Several of the hostage takers are also reported to have died in exchanges of fire with troops as they tried to escape, Reuters reports.
Some are reported to have blown themselves up, but others appear to have got away, says the BBC's Jonathan Charles.
AT A GLANCE (TIMES IN GMT) 1250: Army brings in pile of body bags 1218: At least seven dead, says Itar-Tass 1153: Officials say 250 hostages wounded, including 180 children - AP 1125: Security forces attack house where some rebels thought to be hiding - reports 1115: All hostages reported out of school 0958: Special forces enter school 0930: School roof said to have collapsed 0905: Explosions and gunfire heard. Soldiers run to building
Correspondents say many of those released were desperate for water when they came out, and some were barely able to stand.
The BBC's Sarah Rainsford said at least 150 children have been taken to hospital.
A large number of people had earlier been seen fleeing the premises, many of them covered in blood.
Helicopters hovered overhead and there were troops everywhere.
Sarah Rainsford says a man who had been inside the building told her there had been an explosion and a wall had collapsed. This had been followed by gunfire and many more explosions.
It is unclear what caused the initial explosion.
Pandemonium
There is pandemonium in the streets surrounding the school, says the BBC's Damian Grammaticas, who is also at the scene.
On Thursday, 26 women and young children were released, and some of them provided the first details of conditions inside the school.
"You know there are not 300 people in there, but altogether 1,500. People are lying on top of each other," 27-year-old teacher Zalina Dzandarova told the Kommersant newspaper.
Officials put the number of hostages at 354 before Thursday's release, although the school has more than 1,000 pupils.
Trip wires were believed to have been laid around the school, with the attackers threatening to blow it up if it was stormed by police.
Relatives were running around screaming and crying
Hundreds of relatives of those being held inside the school who had been waiting anxiously outside the security cordon reacted in panic to the outbreak of fighting. Officials said the release of the 26 people on Thursday came after mediation efforts by the former President of the neighbouring region of Ingushetia, Ruslan Aushev.
The attackers - both men and women, some wearing bomb belts - struck on Wednesday, the first day of the new school year in Russia.
Many parents and other relatives were inside the school, helping their children celebrate the new year, when the assault began.
The hostage-takers are Chechen and they were demanding full independence for their republic, says Sarah Rainsford.
The ITV television says the children began to run out from the school when the Chechen Terrorist A**holes started to shoot at their backs. Than the Russians started the assault althought they weren't prepared for that. They even didn't want that!!! And because the russians weren't prepared, the Chcechen women (kamikaze) blew up the gimnasium, ITV says about 100 bodies lie over there....what a bloody mess, there were children, we should all pray for them...
If this is true it would be a miracle...
Militant Islam must be destoyed.
Were these Islamic Terrorist?
yes.
Militant is-slime must be destroyed.
I wonder if the muzzies who attend the mosque at the end of my street will show up for Friday prayers today. They seem to lie low whenever their co-religionists commit another spectacular atrocity.
Where's CAIR or CIAR...(whatever) when you need them?
They're too busy monitoring the hate speech coming from Paul Harvey.
Are these hostage-takers from the religion of peace?
For the 'Demrat sheeple' out there; the hostage-takers are Islamic militant/radicals; the same we read about; know about; around the world.
Not according to the MSM. They're "militants". Militants is 60's radical-speak. Of course, that's whose in charge of the MSM nowadays. To call these animals "militants" is to de-humanize real militants and humanize the terrorists. Yes, they are ISLAMO-FASCIST TERRORISTS, Virginia. The limp-wristed MSM hand wringers are afraid to call them that. I doubt that the non-thinking gullible dems will even take a second look at this situation. The world is a dangerous place, and J-Fink wants to capitulate to the terrorists and try to understand them.....I SLAM ISLAM!...
Yes, of course, who else kills children in the name of their religion? Only Islam does that.
There are at least 100 dead in the cafeteria.
Mass murdering Islamic scum.
how could you NOT KNOW???? yes, these are, of course, members of the 'religion of peace" Islam.
The Capt.
"Where's CAIR or CIAR...(whatever) when you need them?" Protesting the 'Patriot Act'; giving legal aid to terrorists currently housed in our prisons.
The fact that the Main Stream Media (Reuters, AP, etc.) call the terrorists "militants" tells you all you need to know about their vercacity (i.e., they have NONE).
They report what they want you to think. They are Leftist LIARS.
Who else takes little children as hostages and shoots them in the back?
Miltiant Islam is a redundancy.
All Islam is Militant.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3624024.stm
Last Updated: Friday, 3 September, 2004, 13:04 GMT 14:04 UK
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Bloody end to Russia school siege
Live BBC coverage
Russian troops have stormed the school in North Ossetia where hundreds of children and adults have been held hostage since Wednesday.
Witnesses report seeing dozens of bodies in the school gym, after hearing heavy gunfire and loud explosions throughout the morning.
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