Posted on 27-10-2002
Russian
Forces Storm Siege Theatre
>From www.bbc.co.uk,
Saturday, 26 October, 2002, 10:51 GMT
Russian security forces have brought a sudden and dramatic end
to the
three-day siege in a Moscow theatre, where hundreds of people
were being
held hostage by Chechen rebels. Vladimir Vasilyev, Russian Deputy
Interior
Minister The head of the Russian security service, Nikolai Patrushev,
said
34 Chechen rebels were killed in the raid and a number of others
were
arrested. He said none had escaped.
But up to 90 hostages were also killed during the rescue operation,
Russian
Deputy Interior Minister Vladimir Vasilyev has acknowledged.
He said more
than 750 had been saved. Earlier reports suggested that no more
than 10 of
the hostages had died. Nearly 350 people were taken to hospital,
many in a
serious condition, the French news agency AFP quoted medical
sources as
saying. Most of the casualties were suffering from severe gas
poisoning.
Troops had released sleeping gas into the theatre to subdue
the rebels
before they stormed the complex at about 0600 local time (0200
GMT).
The rebel leader, Movsar Barayev, was among those who died in
a fierce gun
battle between the rebels and hundreds of the heavily-armed
special forces.
The BBC's Jonathan Charles, who is at the scene, says this was
not a
planned operation but one which was triggered by events. Reports
say
Russian President Vladimir Putin was only informed of the operation
after
it began. Mr Putin later visited some of the survivors in hospital.
Booby traps
The rescue operation began when some of the hostages tried to
escape after
the rebels shot two of their captives and injured at least two
others. In
the ensuing panic, the hostages inadvertently set off booby
traps laid in
the theatre by the rebels. Russian special forces then rushed
to their aid,
engaging in a pitched gun battle which lasted more than an hour.
About two hours later, the Russian television channel ORT showed
pictures
of the theatre strewn with bodies, some severely mutilated,
others with
their heads down as if they had passed out. Officials said none
of the
special forces had been killed or injured in the operation.
"We succeeded
in preventing mass deaths and the collapse of the building which
we had
been threatened with," said Russian Deputy Interior Minister
Vladimir
Vasilyev.
Our correspondent said the hostages looked shocked and terrified
as they
emerged. A number of hostages were brought out unconscious,
ORT reported.
For some time after securing the theatre, troops searched the
extensive
building for any remaining attackers and explosives. Russian
Interior
Minister Boris Gryzov said about 30 accomplices of the rebels
had been
arrested in the Moscow area.
Sleeping gas
At least 20 ambulances were seen carrying casualties away from
the scene.
Forty-two survivors were taken to Moscow's Sklifosovsky hospital
suffering
the effects of poison gas, said doctor Vladimir Ryabinin. Their
condition
was described as poor. The Russian authorities have not released
any
details of which gas was used. The assault came three days after
the
Chechens seized control of the Palace of Culture theatre, about
4
kilometres (2.7 miles) south-east of the Kremlin. Hundreds of
Russians and
foreigners were inside the theatre, watching a performance of
the popular
musical Nord-Ost. The rebels threatened to shoot the audience
and blow up
the building if Russian security forces intervened. They demanded
the
withdrawal of Russian troops from Chechnya and an end to the
war there.
On Friday, the rebels released 19 hostages, but negotiations
to release
others broke down.
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