Search and rescue work at Moscow terror attack site completed (VIDEO)
All rescue operations at the site of the Moscow terrorist attack have been stopped, the Russian Emergencies Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. Crocus City Hall was set ablaze by gunmen last Friday evening, causing the roof of the giant concert venue to collapse.
The emergency response teams have finished clearing the debris of the damaged building, the statement published on Telegram said, adding that search and rescue efforts at the site have concluded as well. The area was also examined by canine teams and specialized robotic equipment, according to the ministry.
More than 1,000 emergency response specialists as well as over 300 fire engines and other emergency vehicles were deployed to the scene to aid in the efforts, the statement read. A total of 900 cubic meters of wreckage has been removed from the site, according to the ministry’s data. Any further works at Crocus City would involve heavy engineering equipment, the ministry said.
The officials also published a video showing the site of the terrorist attack, which has been called the worst on Russian soil in decades. Footage shows the concert hall completely burnt out, with its roof collapsed. Some large pieces of debris still remain at the site, which has been otherwise mostly cleared.
Russian officials said that around 13,000 square meters of the seven-story building, about a third of its entire floor area, were engulfed by the fire. The blaze was only contained after several hours, which saw helicopters dropping around 160 metric tons of water on the building.
The terrorist act claimed the lives of 139 people, according to the chair of the Russian Investigative Committee, Aleksandr Bastrykin; 137 died at the scene and two more succumbed to their injuries after being hospitalized, the official said on Monday, adding that 182 others were injured.
The four terrorist suspects managed to flee the scene but were intercepted by Russian law enforcement in Bryansk Region. According to Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) the assailants sought to cross into Ukraine, where they allegedly had a “contact.”
A Moscow court has placed the four primary suspects as well as four of their alleged accomplices under arrest. Three others have been detained in connection with the case, according to the FSB.
