RUSSIA: PEOPLE OF BESLAN BLAME RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT FOR SCHOOL SIEGE WHICH CLAIMED AT LEAST 200 LIVES
Record ID:
647387
RUSSIA: PEOPLE OF BESLAN BLAME RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT FOR SCHOOL SIEGE WHICH CLAIMED AT LEAST 200 LIVES
- Title: RUSSIA: PEOPLE OF BESLAN BLAME RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT FOR SCHOOL SIEGE WHICH CLAIMED AT LEAST 200 LIVES
- Date: 4th September 2004
- Summary: (U2) BESLAN, RUSSIA (SEPTEMBER 4, 2004) (REUTERS) 1. VARIOUS OF MILITARY TRUCKS (2 SHOTS) 0.11 2. TANKS AND SOLDIERS (2 SHOTS) 0.25 3. WIDE OF SCHOOL 0.31 4. SOLDIOERS IN DAMAGED SCHOOL 0.36 5. VARIOUS OF SOLDIERS AND TANKS (3 SHOTS) 0.57 6. DAMAGED SCHOOL WINDOWS (2 SHOTS) 1.05 7. SOLDIERS (2 SHOTS) 1.18 8. MORE OF DAMAGED SCHOOL WINDOWS (2 SHOTS) 1.22 9. BODIES ON THE GROUND (2 SHOTS) 1.36 10. VARIOUS OF LINE OF TANKS AND SOLDIERS (4 SHOTS) 2.06 11. VARIOUS OF SOLDIERS OUTSIDE SCHOOL (6 SHOTS) 2.58 12. EXTERIOR OF SCHOOL/ DAMAGED ROOF 3.02 13. MORE OF SOLDIERS (5 SHOTS) 3.43 (W3) BESLAN, NORTH OSSETIA, RUSSIA (SEPTEMBER 4, 2004) (REUTERS) 14. WS: BESLAN TOWN CENTRE/ EXTERIOR OF HALL OF CULTURE WHICH WAS USED AS HEADQUARTERS BY AUTHORITIES DURING SIEGE 3.55 15. MEN WORKING 4.01 16. HEAVY POLICE AND MILITARY PRESENCE/ SOLDIERS MANNING CHECKPOINTS (3 SHOTS) 4.23 17. MAN CARRYING YOUNG BOY IN HIS ARMS AS HE LOOKS AT SCENE NEAR SIEGE SCHOOL 4.28 18. SOLDIERS 4.33 19. HOSPITAL EXTERIORS 4.41 20. PEOPLE OUTSIDE HOSPITAL 4.48 21. LISTS OF WOUNDED ADMITTED TO HOSPITAL POSTED ON WALLS/ PEOPLE LOOKING AT LISTS FOR NAMES OF RELATIVES/ LOVED ONES 4.53 22. (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) ZOYA, A WOMAN LOOKING FOR HER TWO GRANDDAUGHTERS, HAVING FOUND A GRANDSON SAYING: "They were together of course, but in such circumstances he (her grandson) can't remember anything, even about himself. ASKED ABOUT PUTIN ARRIVING IN BESLAN TODAY AND WHETHER SHE WOULD LIKE TO MEET HIM, SHE SAYS: "Nothing matters now, what about Putin? the only thing I want is to find the kids. Who cares about Putin, I want my kids." 5.11 23. SV/CU: HOSPITAL/ PEOPLE LOOKING AT LISTS (2 SHOTS) 5.26 24. (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) AZA, A LOCAL WOMAN SAYING: "I am looking for my son, his wife and my grandson. What have they (the authorities) done to us? I have no idea. ASKED ABOUT PUTIN'S VISIT TO BESLAN, SHE SAYS: "We don't know, we just arrived from our village. He (Putin) may meet us, but what can he do?" 5.50 25. EXTERIOR OF NEARBY BUILDING/ SOLDIERS 5.57 26. WOMAN TAKING HER SON HOME FROM HOSPITAL 6.06 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 19th September 2004 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: BESLAN, NORTH OSSETIA, RUSSIA
- Country: Russia
- Reuters ID: LVAAO6JG0V0QK9T9XYLKMUJLYCVW
- Story Text: People of Beslan blame the Russian government for
the school siege as hundreds of wounded are treated in
hospitals.
In the morning of Saturday (September 4) there was
heavy security in the town of Beslan after the ending of a
school siege in which at least 250 people were killed.
In North Ossetia on Saturday hundreds of wounded were
in hospitals, many in critical conditions.
At one of the hospitals in Beslan, relatives of the
wounded gathered outside, looking for their loved ones on
lists posted at the hospital's main entrance.
Many were in shock, and some weeped. And many blamed
the Russian government for the siege of the school and the
deaths that followed from it.
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered security
forces to seal off North Ossetia on Saturday amid fears
some Chechen hostage-takers may have escaped the siege school.
The storming of the school by Russian forces plunged
the small town of Beslan into pandemonium. Troops and armed
civilians advanced on the red brick building after
explosions inside, as pupils, parents and teachers, many
drenched in blood, were carried out on stretchers or in the
arms of local men.
The carnage added to a series of calamities linked with
Chechen separatists to strike Russia in the past week.
"I have ordered Beslan to be sealed off, Ossetia's
borders to be closed and checks to be carried out to find
all people linked to the terrorist act," television showed
Putin saying on a visit to the small town in the province
of North Ossetia.
The Interfax news agency quoted local health officials
as saying at least 250 people were killed. Hundreds
remained in hospital, 92 in serious condition. Officials
said 27 hostage-takers had been killed and three taken
alive.
A Reuters witness said he had seen about 25 corpses in
the schoolyard, which had not been there the day before. He
also said about 18 were in body bags lying in two rows. Six
or seven were left outside the school window without body
bags, all men without shirts.
Some reports said some of the gunmen may have escaped.
Authorities said they had been forced to launch a
rescue operation when the gunmen opened fire on fleeing
children.
Putin pledged a crackdown on anyone supporting the
gunmen.
"One of the tasks pursued by the terrorists was to
stoke ethnic hatred, blow up the whole of our North
Caucasus," Putin said told local security officials.
"Anyone who will feels sympathetic towards such
provocation will be viewed as accomplices of terrorists and
terrorism."
North Ossetia is the only predominantly Orthodox
province in the otherwise mostly muslim North Caucasus.
The region, which became Moscow's power base in its war
against separatists in Chechnya, also has territorial
dispute with another neighbouring province, Ingushetia.
Hundreds died in clashes between Ingushis and Ossetians in
the early 1990s.
It was still unclear how many people had been in the
school when it was seized by gunmen on Wednesday (September
1) during ceremonies to start the academic year.
Medical teams have been stretched. The first of two
planes carrying doctors and medicines arrived early on
Saturday.
Vitaly Slepushkin, head of emergency medicine at the
North Ossetian Medical Academy, said his hospital treated
some 450 people. Most suffered shrapnel and bullet wounds
and burns.
Terrified children ran screaming for safety from the
building, many wearing only underwear after being crammed
in the school gym in stifling heat for two days.
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