A stunned Russia, reeling from the deadly terrorist strike at school in Beslan in southern Russia and which claimed over 300 innocent lives, half of them children, today observed the first day of national mourning with flags flying at half-mast at Kremlin palaces, Parliament and all official buildings.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had decreed an official two-day mourning from today as the toll in the country's worst ever hostage drama mounted to 335, including 156 children. Independent sources said the toll could climb to 400 as Channel One TV reported that 89 children were in serious condition.
Funerals continued in the grieving south Russian town of Beslan for the second day as bereaved families were preparing to bury 170 of the victims in hastily prepared graves.
Flags were flying at half-mast on the Kremlin palaces, Government House, Parliament and all the administrative buildings throughout the country while all entertainment programmes, including those aired on TV channels have been cancelled.
Nearly 377 of those who survived the three-day ordeal were admitted in local hospitals in North Ossetia of which 197 children are under-17, regional Deputy Health Ministry Teimuraz Revazov was quoted as saying by Interfax today.
Meanwhile, Russian television showed footage of an alleged hostage-taker.
"I swear by Allah, I want to live! I swear by Allah, I did not shoot children!" said the man, speaking in a typical Chechen accent. He was handcuffed and flanked by hooded commandoes. The pictures were shown repeatedly by state-run Rossia channel on Sunday night.
The militant, who had come along with his 31 comrades to the school, was captured when he tried to escape as the hostage drama ended.
The hostage-taker had allegedly placed children as human shields in the widows on the first floor of the school building so that the security forces could not return his fire.
Later, after cutting his long beard he tried to get lost in the crowed to escape but was captured. One of the fleeing hostage-takers was lynched by the mob of furious relatives in Beslan on Friday.
The militant is co-operating with the investigation and has already divulged vital information about the organisers of the terror attack and the identity of his killed accomplices, Rossia TV said.
According to the TV report one of the militants had studied in the same school and had never taken off his black mask fearing his teachers would recognise him. The militants had used a remote country road linking North Ossetia with Chechnya to arrive unnoticed. On their way, they had also taken a police officer hostage.
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