MOSCOW: More than 60 people have been killed and over 145 injured after armed gunmen opened fire at concertgoers at Crocus City Hall located in the outskirts of Moscow, Russia.
At least 60 among those injured in the attack, which took place on Friday, are in critical condition.
The attackers targeted people moments before Soviet-era rock group “Picnic” was to perform to a full house at the 6,200-seat the Crocus City Hall located West of the Russian capital.
The terrorist attack, for which militant group Daesh has taken responsibility, is the deadliest terror incident in Russia since the 2004 Beslan school siege wherein militants had taken more than 1,000 people hostage.
“Suddenly there were bangs behind us — shots. A burst of firing — I do not know what,” one witness, who asked not to be identified by name, told Reuters.
“A stampede began. Everyone ran to the escalator,” the witness said. “Everyone was screaming; everyone was running.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin was being updated by security chiefs about the situation, including from Alexander Bortnikov, the head of the Federal Security Service (FSB), the Kremlin said.
Russian investigators published pictures of a Kalashnikov automatic weapon, vests with multiple spare magazines and bags of spent bullet casings.
