(Dan Tri) – Witnesses speak out about the moment gunmen stormed a shopping complex in Moscow, causing one of the deadliest attacks in Russia in recent years.
Chaotic scene in the theater when the terrorist attack occurred (Photo: Pixel80000.
On the evening of March 22 (local time), the Crocus City Hall theater in a shopping complex in northwest Moscow became the target of a brutal terrorist attack.
According to updated figures to date, at least 60 people have died and nearly 150 people have been injured.
The terrorist organization IS has claimed responsibility for the attack, but Russia is still investigating information about the suspects carrying out this terrorist plan.
The scene was engulfed in `sea of fire` after the attackers burned the structure (Photo: Reuters).
According to eyewitnesses, gunmen began shooting at civilians shortly before the rock group `Picnic` performed to a packed auditorium at the theater in the western suburbs of Moscow.
Video footage of the attack shows haunting moments.
`Suddenly there was an explosion behind us. It was gunfire. I don’t know what happened. People started running away chaotically towards the escalator. Everyone was screaming,` a witness told
A witness described at least five attackers and `they acted like trained soldiers. Immediately after entering the building, these people murdered security staff and people standing at the door.
At least 60 people died in a terrorist attack in Russia (Note: Video contains violent images, readers should consider before watching).
In a video obtained by RT, right after the terrorist suspects opened fire, screams rang out: `They burned the hall! They are attacking with rifles.`
The man who recorded the video said the attackers burst into the concert hall and immediately opened fire on the first rows of seats filled with people.
One girl said that when the shooting started, she saw people running away, with the attackers chasing after them.
The scene of the scene was devastated (Photo: Sputnik).
According to a Sputnik reporter, the attackers stormed the theater premises, opened automatic rifles, and then threw grenades or incendiary bombs, causing a fire in the building premises.
`Everyone in the theater lay close to the floor to avoid being hit for 15-20 minutes, then began to crawl out,` the above reporter said.
Law enforcement arrived at the scene.
Alexander, a survivor of the attack, said: `Two minutes before the concert started, there were loud explosions from the lower floors and loudspeakers announced to the audience that there was a shooting going on.`
`A security guard let us into a room containing water tanks or fire extinguishers. There were about 50 people there amid the smoke for about 25 to 30 minutes. Then rescuers from the Ministry of Emergency Services
A weapon in the attack (Photo: Sputnik).
Several videos posted online showed horrifying scenes of some people pleading for help from the roof of the concert hall as it burned in the background.
Other videos show people screaming, crawling on their hands and knees out of the music venue or fleeing down stairs.
One witness said he was about to take his seat when he heard `many machine gun shots` and `a lot of screaming.`
`I immediately realized that it was automatic gunfire and understood that it was most likely the worst: a terrorist attack,` the man named Alexei told AFP.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin called the attack a `terrible tragedy`.
`Today a terrible tragedy occurred in Crocus City. I would like to send my sincere condolences to the relatives of the victims. I have instructed to provide all necessary support to the victims of the incident
Russian authorities have launched a hunt for the gunmen in the attack, warning people in Moscow and its suburbs to take precautions.
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