Hostage Siege
On the 1st September 2004, the first day of the school year, over 1,000 children and adults were taken hostage by around 30 hostage takers at School Number One in Beslan, North Ossetia in the North Caucasus of the Russian Federation.
The hostages were held in the school gym without food, water or access to toilets. In the heat they had to strip down to their underwear, and some drank their own urine to relieve their thirst.
Violent Conclusion
The siege ended on Friday the 3rd September, when Russian forces stormed the building as they believed hostages were being killed. There is still much confusion over exactly what happened, and why.
Over 330 people died and more than 700 were injured. Some bodies were burnt beyond recognition and will need to be identified using DNA. The death toll is expected to rise.
Hospital Crisis
The North Caucasus is the poorest region in the Russian Federation and the hospitals are generally ill-equipped. Attempting to cope with hundreds of injured, they are in a state of crisis.
The Russian Federation government has sent some medical equipment and doctors from Moscow. However, resources are still very limited.
The UN is co-ordinating humanitarian relief for Beslan, and Islamic Relief’s Chechnya office is liaising closely with them.
A response will be carried out by IR's office in neighbouring Kabardino-Balkaria
Islamic Relief Response
Islamic Relief (IR) has allocated €20,000 worth of humanitarian aid, which will be co-ordinated by IR’s office in the neighbouring republic of Kabardino-Balkaria.
Islamic Relief is providing Beslan’s hospitals with:
- Medicine and medical equipment
- Two ambulances
- Food for patients’ meals (as Russian hospitals do not usually provide meals)
- Toys and sweets for some of the children in hospital
- Hygiene packs
Future Plans and Fears
The North Caucasus is a volatile part of the world. For the last decade a civil war has been fought in Chechnya, and just over ten years ago North Ossetia and Ingushetia also fought a brief war.
There is still the possibility of an outbreak in hostilities between North Ossetia and Ingushetia, because some of the hostage takers are said to be Ingush. There have already been threats of revenge. Islamic Relief regional office will continue to monitor the situation in Beslan’s hospitals.