UPDATE 3 - 40 killed, over 100 injured in Moscow concert hall attack: Russian Federal Security Service

UPDATES WITH MORE INFORMATION ON ONGOING SITUATION

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) — Gunmen killed 40 people and injured over 100 others in a shooting at a concert hall near Moscow, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) announced on Friday.

"According to preliminary data, as a result of the terrorist attack in the Crocus City Hall complex, 40 people were killed and more than 100 injured," the FSB said, after multiple gunmen burst into the building in the Moscow region, a territory adjacent to the Russian capital.

The incident took place in Krasnogorsk, the administrative center of the Moscow region, where the music band Picnic was performing in the Crocus City Hall, according to preliminary information. They were uninjured in the attack, law enforcement agencies said.

An explosion was also later reported at the venue, causing a large fire. The country's Emergency Ministry said that about a third of the building was engulfed in flames, with several helicopters working to extinguish the blaze.

The Russian Attorney General's office said the unidentified people opened fire before the concert began, with an investigative committee opening a criminal case following the incident, declaring it a "terrorist attack."

The fate of the shooters remains unknown, with some reports claiming they managed to flee the scene.

Over 100 people have so far been evacuated from the building, the ministry added, with more people awaiting assistance on the roof.

Moscow special forces, police, and firefighters rushed to the scene, where more than 50 ambulances have assembled, the Health Ministry said.

The Crocus City hall is collapsing in some places due to the fire, Russian media later reported.

Moscow police elevated security measures amid concert hall shooting as people are searched in subway stations and other public places.

Security measures have been stepped up in Moscow, with police searching people in subway stations and other public places, reportedly after the shooters' escape from the scene of the attack.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin was briefed on the attack minutes after it began and is receiving continuous updates, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

In response to the attack, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev demanded the "total execution of the terrorists and the repression of their families."

Andrey Vorobyov, governor of the Moscow region, announced that a task force would be set up to address the situation.

Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin expressed condolences to the loved ones of those killed and wounded in the attack.

"A terrible tragedy occurred at the Crocus City Hall today. I am sorry for the loved ones of the victims. I gave the order to provide all necessary assistance to all those who were injured during the incident," he said.

Sobyanin also announced that all entertainment events in Moscow were cancelled over the weekend.

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*Zehra Nur Duz contributed to this story from Ankara.