Report: Group Breaks Out of Russia School (Russian Soldiers Have Taken Control Of Building)

Yahoo news ^ | 9/03/04 | AP

[kattracks]

BESLAN, Russia - A group of about 30 women and children broke out of a school in southern Russia where militants were holding hundreds of people captive Friday, a news agency reported, after two loud explosions were heard and Russian commandos opened fire near the building.

The Interfax news agency said that the school's roof had collapsed and militants were shelling and firing from the building. Interfax said the hostages who broke out of the school included women and children. It was impossible to immediately verify the reports.

Two helicopters hovered overhead. An ambulance rushed from the scene and CNN reported that at least two people were wounded. On Thursday, the militants inside the school had released some 26 of the hundreds of hostages held inside the building since Wednesday.

[pickemuphere]

Remember, GW's with the party that says it doesn't need a permission slip.

He's also in the party that has chosen to negotiate with al-Sadr and Zarqawi time and time again. Neither side is willing to do what needs to be done. I'm hoping Putin will make an example.

[TexKat]

Volunteers carry an injured girl on a stretcher during the rescue operation of Beslan's school, northern Ossetia. Dozens of corpses of dead hostages are currently inside the Russian school where militants seized hundreds.(AFP/Maxim Marmur)

A volunteer carries a small child after special forces stormed a school seized by heavily armed masked men and women in the town of Beslan in the province of North Ossetia near Chechnya , September 3, 2004. A hundred or more people were killed when Russian troops stormed a school on Friday in a chaotic battle to free parents, teachers and children who had been held hostage for 53 hours by Chechen separatists. Photo by Stringer/Russia/Reuters REUTERS/S.Dal

People carry a person from the school in Beslan, North Ossetia, Russia Friday, Sept. 3, 2004. Commandos stormed a school Friday in southern Russia where hundreds of hostages had been held for three days, sending hostage-takers and their captives fleeing in a scene of chaos amid explosions and gunfire. (AP Photo/Musa Sadulayev)

An injured woman looks on after special forces stormed a school seized by heavily armed masked men and women in the town of Beslan in the province of North Ossetia near Chechnya on September 3, 2004. Russian soldiers battled Chechen separatists on Friday to end a two-day-old school siege as naked children ran out screaming amid explosions and machinegun fire. Photo by Stringer/Russia/Reuters An injured woman looks on after special forces stormed a school seized by heavily armed masked men and women in the town of Beslan in the province of North Ossetia near Chechnya , September 3, 2004. Russian soldiers battled Chechen separatists on Friday to end a two-day-old school siege as naked children ran out screaming amid explosions and machinegun fire.

A video image shows dead children placed on stretchers after special forces stormed a school seized by heavily armed gunmen in the town of Beslan, in the province of North Ossetia near Chechnya, September 3, 2004. Russian soldiers battled Chechen separatists on Friday to end a two-day-old school siege and more than 150 people have probably died, Interfax quoted a presidential adviser as saying. Some children are still captive, but more than 400 hostages have been freed, it said. REUTERS/Reuters TV

[TexKat]

Russians Storm School; 150 May Be Dead

[nyconse]

If we worry inordinately about collateral damage and fail to destroy the Islamic Terrorist savages, then Americans will be murdered-possibly American children. I do not want to be going about my daily business only to hear 'breaking news' 1500 American children are being held hostage...in New York, Georgia, California- it could be anywhere. Unless we take the PC gloves off and go after these terrorists in a completely ruthless fashion (only thing they understand) this will happen. Hamas is already talking about taking the jihad to America. Al Quada already did on 9-11-2001. The real queston is this- Will more American innocents have to die before we faith the truth? We are in a war for our very survival against a murderous, implacable enemy?

[nyconse]

I just heard (Fox) that the Russian Army is with the children in the building. They are not being held hostage-praise God! The Army will get them out as soon as it becomes safte to do so.

[Alouette]

How do you think we should have handled World War II?

[justshutupandtakeit]

I am dancing around nothing. OBL and Saddam were working together and getting closer. There is no dancing with that statement. It is not obscure or mincing words.

Saddam had no problem working with ANY group dedicated to destroying America and for you to claim otherwise is a LIE. Or is that dancing around too much for you.

Your attempts to blame Saudi Arabia for terrorism throughout the world is disingenuous and deceptive. Just like MOOer's attempt to do the same with the absurd claim that invading Iraq weakened the war on terror. NOTHING could be further from the truth. It is FUNDAMENTAL and NECESSARY for a successful attack on terror if for no other reason than Iraq offered sanctuary to al Queda after the Afganistan invasion and many of them took it your bullshite not withstanding.

[MizSterious]

Thank you, this story just seems to grow worse and worse. They just said we can expect the death count to continue to go up.

[DCBryan1]

This picture looks just like the one of the OKC firefighter holding an infant victim of the Murrah building bombing. Fortunately this cuild is alive.

I think this pictures are appropriate together. This could happen here:

Pray for the victims, and then pray for retribution.

I'm so mad right now, I'm gonna get banned and probably visited by "suits" if I say anything else.

[ican'tbelieveit]

Banned for what? Saying we should utterly wipe them off of the face of the earth? I see nothing bannable about that.

[TexKat]

Bodies of schoolchildren killed in a school seizure are seen in Beslan, North Ossetia, Friday, Sept. 3, 2004. Russia's hostage crisis erupted into explosions, gunfire and screams of fleeing children Friday as commandos stormed the school where militants strapped with bombs had held as many as 1,200 people hostage. More than 150 people were dead, and officials said the toll would rise significantly. (AP Photo/Sergey Ponomarev)

An injured schoolgirl who escaped from the seized Russian school holds a cross in her hand in a hospital in Beslan, North Ossetia, Russia Friday, Sept. 3, 2004. Commandos stormed a school Friday in southern Russia where hundreds of hostages had been held for three days, sending hostage-takers and their captives fleeing in a scene of chaos amid explosions and gunfire. More than 100 children were wounded in the assault, some running from the building naked and covered in blood. (AP Photo/Musa Sadulayev)

A bouquet of flowers lies on the bloodstained playground of a school seized by heavily armed masked men and women in the town of Beslan in the province of North Ossetia near Chechnya, September 3, 2004. Russian soldiers ended the siege two days after the militants struck during a celebration to mark the first day of the school year. REUTERS/S.Dal

Broken windows are seen at the rear of a school building seized by heavily armed masked men and women in the town of Beslan, near Chechnya, September 2, 2004. President Vladimir Putin vowed on Thursday to do all he could to save hundreds of children, parents and teachers held under threat of death by gunmen for a second day at a Russian school, near rebel Chechnya. The gunmen released 26 children and women from among the 350 or so hostages. Infants as young as three months old were carried to cars and whisked away to safety. REUTERS/S.Dal

A car burns outside the school seized by an armed gang in North Ossetia's town of Beslan in southern Russia, September 2, 2004. A loud explosion on Thursday, that was followed by smoke near the school where hundreds of hostages are being held by an armed gang, came from the burning car. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin

Injured children are carried on a stretcher to a temporary hospital in Beslan, North Ossetia, Friday, Sept. 3, 2004. Commandos stormed a school Friday in southern Russia where hundreds of hostages had been held for three days, sending hostage-takers and their captives fleeing in a scene of chaos amid explosions and gunfire. (AP Photo/Musa Sadulayev)

[ican'tbelieveit]

Fox said there were 1200 hostages, total... anyone else catch that report. Wow.

[JustPiper]

MOSCOW (AP) The Interfax news agency cites a Russian presidential aide as saying the death toll in school hostage crisis could be significantly more than 150.

I heard it could be as many as 1500 on FNC ;(

[TexKat]

Bodies of schoolchildren and hostages killed in a school seizure seen in a hospital morgue in Beslan, North Ossetia, Friday, Sept. 3, 2004. Commandos stormed a school Friday in southern Russia and battled separatist rebels holding 1,200 hostages. An official said the death toll could be significantly higher than 150. (AP Photo/Musa Sadulayev)

[Kornev]

Just unreal. I think I'm getting desensitized to islamic violence though. The bodies just keep piling up, it's so totally out of control.

[TexKat]

it's so totally out of control.

Way out of control Kornev.

[MarMema]

Your 282. Note the Orthodox priest in the third picture. This area is 98% Orthodox Christian. The chechens hate us more than any other group.

Thank you for the pic. It does my heart good to see the priest in the pic.

[MarMema]

I posted this yesterday or the day before.... when this began. How much and deeply I wish for Basayev to be dead. He not a human but a demon in human form. I loathe him and his presence on this planet with everything in me. These pics are making me hate him even more and I did not think that was possible.

God have mercy on these people, people of my church.

[JustPiper]

As you will see by my ping to you to tM, I also posted these very pictures, GMTA...I am so distraught over the liberal media, I can't stand myself Kat!

[JustPiper]

Timeline I compiled from my email:

9/2 10:13pm
BESLYAN, Russia (AP) Two new accounts say there are at least 1,000 hostages being held captive at a school in souther Russia.

9/3 2:24am
MOSCOW (AP) Russia's NTV television reports two explosions near a school in southern Russia, followed by gunfire and soldiers rushing toward the building.

2:27am
MOSCOW (AP) The Interfax news agency is reporting that a group of hostages has broken out of a school in southern Russia.

2:37am
BESLAN, Russia (AP) The Interfax news agency is reporting that the school roof has collapsed and militants are shelling and firing from the building.

2:46am
FNC: BLASTS, GUNFIRE HEARD AT RUSSIA SCHOOL WHERE CHECHEN TERRORISTS HOLD HUNDREDS HOSTAGE; REPORTS SAY ROOF COLLAPSED AFTER EXPLOSIONS

3:22am
MOSCOW (AP) The Interfax news agency says Russian commandos have taken control of most of the school in southern Russia.

4:27am
BESLAN, Russia (AP) Interfax news agency reports that all hostages have been evacuated from school gymnasium.

4:35am
BESLAN, Russia (AP) The ITAR-Tass news agency says that most of some 200 wounded hostages taken to hospitals are children

4:54am
BESLAN, Russia (AP) Regional emergency officials say 250 hostages have been wounded, including 180 children, during gunfire and explosions at a school.

5:04am
MOSCOW (AP) The Interfax news agency says at least five children have been killed in the shooting and explosions at the seized school in southern Russia.

5:28am
BESLAN, Russia (AP) The ITAR-Tass news agency says at least seven people were killed in the school hostage violence

5:52am
BESLAN, Russia (AP) The regional president says the hostage-takers at a seized school had demanded Russian troops leave Chechnya.

6:23am
BESLAN, Russia (AP) The Interfax news agency says dozens of people have been killed in the collapse of the roof at a school where hostages were held.

7:03am
MOSCOW (AP) The Interfax news agency reports that the bodies of more than 100 hostages have been found in the school gym in southern Russia.

8:03am
MOSCOW (AP) The Interfax new agency reports that three militants remain blockaded in the basement of the school, possibly including head hostage-taker.

8:24am
MOSCOW (AP) The regional Russian Federal Security Service chief says some hostages are still being held in school standoff.

8:35am
MOSCOW (AP) A Russian presidential aide says nine militants killed in hostage crisis were Arab mercenaries, according to the Interfax news agency.

8:42am
MOSCOW (AP) The Interfax news agency cites a Russian presidential aide as saying the death toll in school hostage crisis could be significantly more than 150.

9:14am
BESLAN, Russia (AP) The ITAR-Tass news agency reports that a strong explosion has gone off in the school building where hostages had been held.

11am
WEST ALLIS, Wis. (AP) President Bush calls Russia hostage siege "another grim reminder" of the lengths to which terrorists will go.