There was a shooting at Crocus City Hall near Moscow. What is known

BBC

2 min

March 22, 2024

View Original

photo copyrightTASS

Unidentified people opened fire in the Crocus City Hall concert hall in the Moscow region, where a concert of the Picnic group was taking place. There was an explosion in the building and a fire started. Most of the concert hall building is on fire, Russian agencies report.

The first reports of a shooting at Crocus City Hall appeared at about 8 pm Moscow time. Today there was a concert of the group “Picnic” in the concert hall.

There is no official information from law enforcement agencies about what happened and about possible casualties. According to Russian news agencies, Moscow SOBR and OMON, as well as firefighters, went to the scene of the incident.

According to preliminary data, there are dead and wounded. The Baza Telegram channel, citing sources, writes that 12 people were killed and 35 were injured as a result of the shooting. Telegram channel 112, citing a source, reports 40 dead and more than 130 injured.

After the shooting was opened, an explosion occurred in Crocus City Hall, TASS reports citing operational services. An hour and a half later, Interfax, citing operational services, reported that a second explosion occurred at Crocus City Hall. The roof of the building partially collapsed.

After this, the agency reported that about 100 people were removed from the basement of the building. In addition, work is underway to rescue people from the roof of the building.

The concert director of the Picnic group, Yuri Chernyshevsky, told Meduza (in the register of “foreign agents”) that all members of the group were able to be taken out of the hall, and the audience was also evacuated.

What eyewitnesses say

Skip Podcast Advertisement and continue reading.

What was it?

We quickly, simply and clearly explain what happened, why it is important and what will happen next.

episodes

End of story Podcast Advertising

RIA Novosti, citing its correspondent who was an eyewitness to the attack, reports that three people in camouflage began firing from automatic weapons and burst into the stalls of the concert hall.

After that, according to the agency's correspondent, the attackers threw a grenade or incendiary bomb, which started a fire, videos of which are already spreading on social networks.

“The people who were in the hall lay down on the floor to escape the shooting, lay there for 15-20 minutes, after which they began to crawl out. Many managed to get out,” RIA Novosti reports the words of its correspondent.

Another eyewitness who came to the concert at Crocus City Hall told Dozhd (recognized in Russia as an “undesirable” organization and a “foreign agent”) that when he and his parents were “three steps from the entrance,” shooting began . “And a man falls dead in front of me. People start shouting: “Run, they’re shooting.”

After that, according to an eyewitness, the attacker entered the building and opened fire inside Crocus City Hall.

Another eyewitness told Dozhd that the All-Russian ballroom dancing tournament was also taking place at Crocus City Hall today. “The shooting videos were right under the tournament venue. There were children, teenagers and adults at the tournament. The guys came running and said there was shooting. A stampede began, my relatives hid under the podium. Eventually they began to be evacuated. The children ran out in their dresses and all their things were left there.”

Просмотры: