Russia mourns victims of hostage crisis in Beslan

Doctors and rescuers do not trust any 'exact' figures yet

Russia is mourning the victims of the recent hostage crisis, which took place in the North Ossetian town of Beslan. The mourning will last for two days, September 6th and 7th. The relatives of the slaughtered children continue burying the victims. According to official reports, 323 people were killed as a result of the terrorist act. Twelve people died at hospitals afterwards. The death toll in Beslan has reached 335 people. The relatives have identified 207 bodies.

Doctors and rescuers, who visited the school building on Friday night, say they did not trust any 'exact' figures yesterday. A lot of them said the final data about the killed hostages is possible to exceed 400 and even 500 people, the Vremya Novostei newspaper wrote. Three hundred and ninety-four bodies were brought to the regional morgue alone, AFP reports.

A spokesman for the Russian headquarters said, 377 people remain at hospitals after the crisis in Beslan, including 197 children under 17 years of age. Deputy Minister for Healthcare in North Ossetia, Teimuraz Revazov, told Interfax 55 people are in severe condition.

Hostage-crisis in Beslan: Photo gallery

Over 700 former hostages asked for medical help, Itar-Tass reports. Members of the Beslan town administration organized the 24-hour registration of people, who were held hostage at the seized school. Some former hostages did not ask for help and went home by themselves, when the crisis was over. Psychologists recommend them to take a rehabilitation course.

The first information about the investigation of the hostage crisis appeared three days after the tragedy. Deputy Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation, Sergey Fridinsky, told reporters there were 32 terrorists in the group that seized the school in Beslan. The bodies of 30 of them have been found. Special services are currently identifying the terrorists.

According to special services, the terrorist act in North Ossetia in southern Russia has been thought-out thoroughly.  The guerrillas made a shed at school, where they hid weapons and ammunition. Law-enforcement officers believe the terrorists had accomplices. Investigation is underway.