Russia terror attack: Death toll rises to 115 (Fifth Lead)

Moscow: The death toll in the terror attack in Moscow’s Crocus City Hall has risen to 115, according to the Investigative Committee of Russia.

The death toll is expected to rise further, the committee said, CNN reported.

Moscow region governor Andrey Vorobyov said the kin of the deceased would get $32,500, while injured would receive $10,840.

Russian Security Service (FSB) director Alexander Bortnikov told Russian President Vladimir Putin that 11 people have been detained in connection with the attack on the Crocus complex near Moscow on Friday, according to Russian state media.

The US had warned Russia about the possible terror attack, which was rejected by President Putin, terming it as “provocative”.

All four terrorists directly involved in the attack are among those detained,” TASS reported.

State-owned Russian news agency TASS also reported that the assailants had “contacts on the Ukrainian side.

Emergency services were clearing the rubble at the terrorist attack site — the Crocus City Hall in Moscow Oblast — as more bodies were found, the committee said.

Following a preliminary inspection, the committee said the terrorists used automatic weapons, along with ammunition that they had left behind in the concert hall.

The committee added that ballistic, genetic and fingerprint examinations are being carried out.

It has also been established that the terrorists used flammable liquid to start a fire on the premises, it said.

Four suspects were detained in the Bryansk region near the border with Ukraine, the committee noted

The mall was attacked around 8 p.m. (local time) on Friday just as a concert of famous rock band Piknik was about to begin at its music venue, causing chaos, RT reported.

The assailants targeted fleeing concertgoers and videos of the scene showed bodies strewn like litter.

The assailants also reportedly lobbed hand grenades and used incendiaries to set the building on fire.

The tally is expected to grow given the scale of the attack and the massive fire, which has caused the roof of the building to collapse, as per local media.

The terrorist attack has drawn world-wide condemnation.

UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron said, “We offer our heartfelt condolences and express our deepest sympathy to the families of the many victims.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed the terrorist attack, and said: “We strongly condemn the heinous terrorist attack in Moscow. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims. India stands in solidarity with the government and the people of the Russian Federation in this hour of grief.

The US has condemned the attack, describing it as a “terrible incident”.

Condemning the terror attack, Sri Lanka said,”Such acts of violence against civilians are abhorrent and have no place in civilized society.”

The government and the people of Sri Lanka extend their heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims, the people and the government of Russia at this time of grief, said the statement.

Pakistan condemned the “horrendous” attack carried out at a concert hall in Moscow, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said.

“We express our deepest sympathies with the families of the victims,” the ministry said in a late-night statement.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry called the shooting a “terrorist attack” and urged the entire world community to condemn the attack.