Help Children Victims of Terror

Latest reports indicate that 334 people—including 156 children—were killed during a siege that took place in at School Number One in Beslan, a town in the Southern Republic of North Osetia. On Monday, 6 September 100 of those killed were buried. The siege began at approximately 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, September 1, the first day of the school year. It has been reported that shortly after school began, approximately 32 armed men stormed the school, taking over 1,000 children, their relatives and teachers hostage. It is believed that about nine people were killed as the armed men entered the building. The hostages were held in the school's gymnasium, where the heat was reportedly stifling and no food, water, or medications were allowed in. The siege ended early on Friday, September 3 at about the time medical personnel had been allowed on the premises to retrieve the bodies of those who had been killed when the school was stormed. Bombs rigged inside the gymnasium exploded, collapsing part of the roof onto the people below. The armed men and the Russian Special Forces then engaged in an extended firefight as hostages ran from the building—or were helped out by volunteers.

Official figures put the death toll at 336. However, with up to 200 people still unaccounted it is feared that this figure could rise. There are remains currently in hospital morgues that have been disfigured by the explosion and that still need to be identified. Family members are reportedly donating blood so DNA matches can be made. Over 400 people remain injured in hospitals in Beslan and neighboring towns. Some are in a critical condition and in need of expensive medication and medical equipment, 17 of the most injured, including 11 children, have been transferred to Moscow. Some children in hospital are too young or traumatized to identify themselves. Large numbers of people are still in shock condition and urgently need psychological help. One woman committed suicide after finding her only daughter among the dead. President Vladimir Putin has declared two days of national mourning.

(Sources: American Red Cross, BBC, New York Times, Newsru.com)

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