Day of remembrance for victims of Chechen rebel group's attack on Budyonnovsk hospital

Commemorative events are being held today in Budyonnovsk, on the border with Chechnya, to mark the 9th anniversary of the incursion by Shamil Basyaev's rebel gang.

Basayev's group slew 129 civilians, policemen and servicemen and severely wounded 400 others. They attacked the local hospital, taking some 1,500 people hostage, including women with newborn infants.

Today's memorial events to commemorate the victims of the Budyonnovsk attack included a church service, a wreath-laying ceremony, and the observance of a moment of silence on the town's streets.

Many of Basayev's gang members were subsequently killed during security forces' raid on the town or in the course of the counter-terror campaign in Chechnya. Nineteen were convicted by the Stavropol territorial court, and are now serving their sentences in penitentiaries.