The number of victims from the attack in Moscow reaches 140

2024-03-27 16:05:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The death toll from the March 22 attack on a concert hall in Moscow has reached 140, authorities said, as there are reports that authorities have suspended operations to search for bodies.

The Minister of Health, Mikhail Murashko, said on March 27 that four of the 76 people in the hospital are in critical condition.

A day earlier, the Ministry of Civil Defense, Emergencies and Disasters, completed the cleaning of the ruins in the concert hall, as it was reported that the search for other bodies has ended.

Four gunmen attacked the Krokus concert hall, shooting at people and setting the hall on fire.

A Russian court on March 25 indicted four citizens of Tajikistan for committing an act of terrorism. Four others are accused of helping the attackers.

People from Central Asia living in Russia are under increasing pressure and are grappling with anti-migrant sentiment following the attack. During this week, several workers from Uzbekistan and Tajikistan were questioned by authorities in Moscow.

The Tajik government, which is close to the Kremlin, has questioned the family members of four people accused of carrying out the attack.

Uzbekistan has advised its citizens in Russia to observe increased security measures and carry identification documents and work permits.

The government in Kyrgyzstan has asked citizens not to travel to Russia, while authorities in Turkmenistan are looking at ways to repatriate citizens studying in Russia.

The Islamic State militant group claimed responsibility for the attack. While IS has not specifically identified which of its branches carried out the attack, Western intelligence and experts have blamed the attack on the Islamic State of Khorasan (IS-K).

Senior Russian officials insist that Ukraine and the West were involved in the attack. Kiev has rejected the accusations, while the United States has said it warned Moscow that an attack would take place two weeks before the incident./REL