UPDATES DEATH TOLL; CHANGES HEADLINE, LEDE
By Elena Teslova
MOSCOW (AA) - The death toll from a shooting at the Crocus City concert hall in Moscow region rose to 133 as more bodies were pulled from under the debris, the Russian Investigative Committee said on Saturday.
The committee said in a statement that the terrorist attack took the lives of three children, noting that the death toll was likely to increase as the search and rescue operation continues.
The investigative body said the emergency services continue clearing the debris of the building of the concert hall, which partially collapsed due to the fire.
The committee identified gunshot wounds and poisoning from combustion products as the most common causes of death.
The data on the number of injuries, meanwhile, differed. The Moscow region Health Ministry published a list of 147 people who were admitted to medical care after the incident, while Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said 115 people were injured, including five children. The Emergency Ministry published a list of 99 injured.
Murashko emphasized that 60 people are in critical condition, and doctors are fighting for their lives.
Hundreds of people came to medical centers to donate their blood to injured people, with the Health Ministry saying blood will be needed in the coming weeks to treat burns.
- 11 people arrested, including 4 perpetrators
The Investigative Committee said it detained 11 people, including four perpetrators, in the border region of Bryansk on their way to Ukraine.
Separately, the Federal Security Force (FSB) said it learned that a handler was waiting for the group on the Ukrainian side of the border to facilitate the passage and provide cover.
"Trying to escape, the terrorists were heading towards the Russian-Ukrainian border, planned to cross out, and had contacts on the Ukrainian side," it said in a statement.
The FSB said the group offered resistance, it had to shoot the tires to stop them, and now the group is being transported to Moscow for further investigation.
According to authorities, a main highway leading to Ukraine was closed, and other important roads were being thoroughly monitored during the detention operation.
Russian President Vladimir Putin described the attack as a "purposeful massacre", "a demonstrative execution, a bloody act of intimidation."
He said the Russian special services are working on identifying the accomplice base of the perpetrators of the terrorist attack.