Posted on 09/03/2004 2:21:29 AM PDT by Former Military Chick
BESLAN, Russia (CNN) -- Hundreds more hostages may be inside a school under siege in southern Russian than first thought, Russian officials have said.
As the crisis entered its third day Friday, a spokesman for the regional government told CNN an earlier estimate of 350 hostages was low.
Two of 26 hostages freed by their captors on Thursday indicated there were 1,000 children, parents and teachers inside the building in Beslan, near the troubled Russian republic of Chechnya.
Relatives waiting outside the school also have said there could be as many as 1,000 hostages, noting that the school has 11 grades with 75-100 students in each grade.
Asked about the discrepancy with the earlier estimate, the regional government spokesman said officials originally accounted only for those children whose parents reported them missing.
But teachers also were in the school when armed attackers seized the building Wednesday morning.
And many of the children -- especially in the lower grades -- were accompanied by their parents and in some cases entire families for a celebration to mark the start of the school year.
"The situation in school very, very dire," CNN's Ryan Chilcote reported from the scene.
"Two of the 26 women and children released yesterday are saying the situation is very bad inside the school's gymnasium where the hostages are being kept.
"At one point the men were separated from the women and children. The men were then brought back into the gymnasium, but there weren't as many of them, and there's no word what happened to the other men."
"There is no food and water. At one point the hostage-takers brought them one cup of water for, as they put it, 1,000 hostages."
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
Very troubling all cable news following this. Rapid fire.
Explosions heard coming from the school. The machine gun fire sounds very serious coming from both sides.
Are you watching Fox News?!
CNN reporter ducking to avoid shots. Wounded kids being released.
I see a helicopter arriving. Techincal helicopter...a couple of them now.
Have both, shots on CNN is bad.
Young boy put in ambulance.
Russian special forces taking up position near school.
It is quite confusing. CNN says the school is being stormed. The video is shocking. So are they done negotiating?
Gunfire getting closer to the reporters too.
Ambulance evacuating wounded people from school. Attack helicopter in the air.
I do not wish to ruin anyones breakfast but the scene is devestating. Pray for the children
No other option but to storm.
It seems there are many wounded people. Some people in crowd have been hit by gunfire.
Mass panic in school after explosion.
Might not be a good similarity but it has the feel of WACO the live video is haunting. Just horrific. Hear the copters gun fire continue
About 30 hostages break out of school.
Well, we are just talking to each other, so I am Michele, friends call me Chele.
This is just devestating. I mean they broke in on FOX with a update, turned to CNN and shots rang out. The roof of the school has collapsed.
Fox reports the school roof has collapsed
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