Russia were feared dead Friday, September 3, after Russian Special Forces stormed the building and fought with militants in a fierce battle that killed possible 200 people, an official told BosNewsLife.
The regional director of Russian Ministries, Gennady Terkun, a U.S. backed Christian mission organization, reported from the school grounds in the town of Beslan, North Ossetia, that two church leaders he works with were among the hostages and now fear for the lives of their children.
"Two brothers, Sergey and Taymuraz Totiev are local pastors in the area with children in the school," he said. "Sergey Totiev’s 9-year-old daughter, Anna, was (reportedly) killed and found in the morgue. Her parents have not seen her yet, and it is hoped that she was misidentified," Terkun added. "The remaining five Totiev children (or six if Anna was misidentified) are still missing."
In addition "of the Totiev children, Madena, a girl, and Azum, a boy, have been found in the hospital", he said. The children were among 50 Christian school children who recently visited a summer camp of Russian Ministries, which supports local churches and communities in the troubled region.
As news emerged of the battle, Russian Ministries announced it had set up the Terror Relief Fund, aimed at helping survivors and relatives with "spiritual counseling," a rare commodity in Russia where religion was discouraged during decades of Communism.
Thousands of Christians in the area had already been mobilized by Christian Ministries to pray for those inside the school during the three-day hostage drama.
CHAOTIC SCENE
Terkun, who was an eyewitness to the events, described a chaotic scene during the battle to free the hostages, who were being held since Wednesday, September 1, by hard-line militants demanding
independence for neighboring Chechnya and a Russian withdrawal from the area.
"The school building was suddenly stormed by special forces when militants started shooting children who were trying to escape through a couple of windows that had been blown out of the school," he said. "When the hostage-takers realized that the storming had begun, they activated explosives in the gymnasium which caused the roof to collapse trapping hundreds of children and parents under the debris."
However there was some confusion as what exactly caused the raid, with Russian military sources saying that the raid was not planned. The battle began, they said, when hostage takers started to shoot at children who escaped when emergency service workers picked up the human remains of those killed in an earlier gun battle with Russian forces.
SHOOTING FROM ROOF
"They were shooting at us from the roof," the French News Agency AFP, quoted one child as saying. "No, they were shooting from the second floor," corrected a child who the AFP reporter said looked no older than six.
Earlier news reports claimed troops stormed the building after a female hostage-taker "accidentally" set off explosives strapped around her waist, causing the roof of the gymnasium to collapse.
Terkun said he that after special forces started stormed the building, "12 (or) 13 militants, some wearing belts with explosives, changed into civilian clothing so they could blend in with the crowd." He and an official of Russian President Vladimir Putin estimated the death toll to be 150, however Health Ministry representatives said later the deathtoll could be 200 or even higher.
Reporters in the school building saw "piles of bodies" on the gymnasium floor, whole others, including many children, were believed to have died in hospitals. Television footage showed a scene of panic, with naked or half naked, blood covered children, running for cover during the battle. Others, in a state of shock, were reportedly wandering in the cross fire between Russian armored vehicles who were pounding militant positions.
FIGHTING RAGED
The fighting raged for hours, and by Friday evening security officials said the troops were still battling to free children being held as well as hunting down some militants who escaped. "Special forces of the FSB Federal Security Service) are doing everything they can to free the children that remain in the bandits’ hands," top local security official Valery Andreyev said on the NTV network.
Security officials added that 10 of the 20 militants killed in the running gun battles were of Arab descent, several news agencies said. It confirmed fears among Russian officials that the militants, linked to rebels in neighboring Chechnya, are supported by Muslim terrorist networks such as al-Qaeda of Osama bin Laden.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has refused to "negotiate with terrorists" and the United States reportedly said that the death toll was to blame on the gunmen. There were also hundreds of wounded people, many of them children, with bullet wounds in their faces and head. Russian media said that some children were not even able to say their names in hospitals.
LACK OF AMBULANCES
Because of a lack of ambulances many injured hildren were carried to hospitals by parents or relatives, on primitive stretchers, or in private cars. Many of them appeared thirsty, and children were seen sharing a bottle of water with a seriously bleeding person.
Freed hostages said they had not been given any food or water during their ordeal. One naked boy said: "We drank urine," AFP reported. Russian Ministries said it hoped that its Terrorist Relief Fund would help victims of terrorism to start the process of spiritual renewal.
"This fund will provide spiritual counseling and material assistance to children and families affected by this act of terrorism, as well as provide help to local churches ministering in the aftermath of terrorist acts," it said.
People were encouraged to contribute to the Fund by calling (1)888.462.7639 or by giving online via website: http://www.russian-ministries.org. The Russian Ministries postal address was identified as Russian Ministries P.O. Box 496, Wheaton, IL 60189.
