THE full horror of the Russian school atrocity began to emerge yesterday as traumatised children told horrific tales of stabbed babies and brutal rapes.
It has also emerged that scores of the 323 who died - including many children - had been shot in the back.
While despairing soldiers and rescue workers moved among the growing pile of body bags, it was revealed that an 18-month-old baby had been repeatedly stabbed by a black-clad terrorist who had run out of ammunition.
Other survivors told how screaming teenage girls were dragged into rooms adjoining the gymnasium where they were being held and raped by their Chechen captors who chillingly made a video film of their appalling exploits
They said children were forced to drink their own urine and eat the petals off the flowers they had brought their teachers after nearly three days without food or water in the stifling hot gym.
Their stories came as Russian officials warned that the final death toll of the siege of Middle School No 1 at Beslan in North Ossetia - in which up to 1,200 people were held captive - was likely to be more than 400.
The official toll yesterday stood at 323 which included 156 children, 10 Russian soldiers and two emergency service workers - 35 of the hostage-takers were also killed. Last night 434 people were being treated in hospital with 247 children and 85 adults in a critical condition.
A Russian official said six seriously injured children had been taken to Moscow for treatment.
"One of them is a child, just 18 months old, with many knife wounds," he said.
The Chechen terrorists - including two so-called "Black Widows" - had been meticulously planning the hostage-taking for months.
High explosives and ammunition had been smuggled into the building during the summer by rebels disguised as workmen.
A shocking account of the siege has come from Indira Dzetskelova, the mother of 12-year-old Dzerase who was guarded by two women suicide bombers during the siege. She said: "On the first day they shot a man before my daughter's eyes. They frightened the kids by saying that water in the tap was poisoned.
"The famished children had to eat rose petals from bouquets which they specially bought for their teachers to mark the first day of term. Parents who were also captured had to feed their kids with all the window plants.
"After they ate all the petals, my daughter said that she started to nibble the rose plants.
"She told me that several 15-year-old girls were raped by terrorists. She heard their terrible cries and screams when those monsters took them away."
Her traumatised daughter Dzerase sobbed as she added: "When the assault started, some of us were running out through the school dining room.
"We had to run across and jump over dead bodies. Can I ever forget it? Is it possible that one day I will forget it?
"The terrorists started to shoot from the roof, then one of them ran into the dining room and started to shoot from the window.
"I saw kids and women falling to the ground. And I saw that vermin's face. I saw his smile as he killed my friends."
Diana Gadzhieva, 14, was held with her sister Akinba, aged 11. She told how the rebels executed all the adult men in a room upstairs and how she was forced to lie face down on the gym floor.
She said: "There was not enough space for us and we were lying on top of each other. The rebels needed paths to walk around the gym. They shouted they would shoot anyone whose arm or leg was across their paths.
"They also said they would kill anyone who looked up.
"We saw groups of men hostages going out and never coming back."
She also told of the moments when the bloody firefight started and how the rebels triggered a series of explosions inside the gym.
Diana said: "There was terrible panic and a few boys jumped out of the windows. My sister and I did not want to run out - we were scared of being shot.
"But then the second explosion happened and something heavy fell down on us. I saw children around me lying in blood and not moving.
"Just next to me there was a woman covered in blood. She was dead. I also saw many arms and legs, torn from bodies.
"All the bombs were connected with cords and started blowing up one after another, getting closer and closer to us.
"I took Alina's hand and we ran to the window and jumped out. We were running as quickly as possible - our backs were terribly hot from the fires."
Zalina Vazagova, 13, also told of the terrifying moment when a bomb exploded in the gym ceiling.
She explained: "I heard a terrible crack above my head and closed my eyes. When I opened them, I thought I was dead. There was so much blood around me.
"One granny was lying with a hole in her head. My PE teacher, Ivan Konstantinovich's body hit my leg.
"All the kids were crying, 'Please don't shoot! Please don't kill us'. But the rebels did not listen to us.
"Then I saw an open window and just jumped out. My little sister Lena was left inside there." And sobbing, she added: "I don't know if she's alive. She was only ten."
Survivors say the gymnasium and surrounding corridors had been rigged with at least 18 bombs, connected by cables and trip wires
Two bombs were placed in the hoops of basketball nets and at either ends of the gymnasium.
A "Black Widow" is thought to have blown herself up in front of more than 1,000 hostages, prompting the deadly fire-fight and triggering a further serious of explosions inside the gymnasium.
At least three rebels were thought to have been captured alive in the school's basement - but were later said to have died.
One disguised herself as a teacher leading children to safety. She was apparently shot dead seconds before trying to blow herself up in a nearby hospital.
Another was apparently shot dead and beheaded by his comrades for trying to surrender.
Re: Islamic lunatics KNIFED BABIES, THEY RAPED GIRLS in Beslan school
September 6 2004, 7:30 AM
ZAKAEV TOTALLY EMBARASS HIMSELF, WHAT WILL HIS BRITISH FRIENDS SAY NOW??? :)
TIME TO DEMAND HIS EXTRADITION!!!!
Chechen Leader Seeks Responsibility from Russian Forces.
Novinite.com
Politics: 3 September 2004, Friday
Russian authorities are responsible for the tragic outcome of the hostage crisis in North Ossetia, as special forces stormed the besieged school upon presidential order, Chechen separatist leader Akhmed Zakaev said in a statement posted online.
Despite knowing that there were hundreds of children inside the school, Russian forces made their way inside, thus ruling out the possibility to solve the crisis without bloodshed "should they had bowed to the claims of militants".
According to Zakaev, who is currently residing in London exile, Russian government has confirmed its "monstrous image showing readiness to commit crimes, to risk mass bloodshed in order to achieve its imperial objectives."
Amid the hostage crisis in South Russian town of Beslan, Zakaev ruled out that Chechen rebels stood beside the plot and organization of the school seizure.
http://www.novinite.com/media/images/2004-09/38840.jpg
Chechen separatist leader Akhmed Zakaev said Russian authorities are responsible for the tragic outcome of the hostage crisis in North Ossetia. Zakaev is seen as a close cooperate with Shamil Basayev, believed to be seizure's mastermind. Photo by Internet
Readers say:
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Author: sdfsd 3 Sep 2004 [ 22:53:21 ]
Go screw yourself you extradited SOB!
Author: Plamen 3 Sep 2004 [ 22:53:47 ]
F_u_c_k you Zackaev.You take hostage kids and blame after that the russians for their deaths.What an idiot can say that?By the way is there anybody in Britain who will kick this idiot's ass???? Was the war on terror a global one?
If Bin Laden goes to stay in Moscow are US gonna be happy?
Author: john joe 3 Sep 2004 [ 23:03:25 ]
they were all american and british trained like the KLA in kosovo.
Author: PP 3 Sep 2004 [ 23:47:25 ]
This time they made it wrong. Russians will began genoside in Chechnia.
Interesting that Britten keep this man in obvious attempt to blackmail the russians.
It is not clever.
USA made hieros of the islamic separatists in Igoslavia. Armed them supported them in all possible meance and at the end found itsel attacked by the same people that is actively supported for years.
Briten may be an island but it cant take advantage of that for ever.
Author: Joe Mama 4 Sep 2004 [ 00:07:09 ]
Akhmed: FOAD.
This turd should be sedated by the SAS and placed on a 1-way flight to Moscow.
He may get his wish for Chechan indpendence when most of it's surface is turned into free ions.
Author: n. glish. 4 Sep 2004 [ 02:38:35 ]
all terrorists should be put to death without a trial. they preach crap in a free society and bleat on about their human right when caught. they have no human rights, burn the b*******.
Author: Tom David 4 Sep 2004 [ 02:53:58 ]
At least the Chechans are SO STUPID that their "leaders" are completely unable to utter sentences that might sound even MILDLY convincing!
Author: Krum 4 Sep 2004 [ 05:41:01 ]
terrorists should have no human rights in the first place because they are NOT HUMAN. Terrorists think they can win when fighting against Israel, Russia, US, Britain, Germany, France, Australia, the list goes on. YOU BASTARDS are fighting against civilisation, something that you guys haven't reached yet because you idiots were all too busy fighting than progressing forward!
the more attacks you make, the more enmity and discrimination that grows towards your backward religion.
And where is the chorus of denunciation from Muslims themselves? Here and there a little bit, but not ENOUGH. I didn't think so.
hmmmmmmmmmmmm.....Smells like tacit support.
Author: Irishwriter 4 Sep 2004 [ 06:49:21 ]
Once again Chechens and their arab terrorist allies have shown their culture.... I have seen more appealing cultures on a petri-dish in biological laboratory.
You cannot go lower than killing children for your peverted ideology.... once you have committed that crime against humanity you have forsaken your own rights in the same humanity, You are outcasts and have demonstrated the inferiority of your own beliefs and culture.
Muslims in the name of allah commit most of the worlds vile atrocities, the religion they follow must be sick, sick, sick.... and they always seem to think that it is someone elses fault when they murder kill and maim... perhaps they preach infallibility in the koran too.
Maybe it is our fault... if the Christian crusades had succeeded in the middle ages we might have had decent civilsed ( yes - that means Christian ! ) people living in the arab countries today, instead of the spawning grounds of terrorism that they are.
Author: Trud 4 Sep 2004 [ 07:42:53 ]
First of let me condemn this barbaric behaviours of who soever they are.
I would like to explain to the ppl on forum that these killings have nothing to do Islam or any perticular religion. These are bunch thugs, disillusioned from their life and nothing to do and no where to go. Just to save themselves and get so called sympathy they use religion. I bet non of the none of the real muslims around the world will endorse this kind of brutal and heinious crime. Being a student of comparative religions, i must say that what they are doing is not according to the teaching of Islam. At this stage all the intilectulas from over the world stand united and counter this hypocrasy. I blame mostly so called superpower for this cruel act, bcos they always sow this kind of dirty seed and the fruits they let world to eat. Also hypocrasy of super power, they support some of the worlds most suppressive regime in the worls and they are infact the breeding ground for thids thugs. Lastly the so called Human rights/Assylum policies of these countries, they give shelters to all the crooks, thugs and terrorist and after that they make noise, when they are targetted by them.
Author: Here in London 4 Sep 2004 [ 13:37:29 ]
It embarasses me to know that my government here in the UK allows this man to live here. Time for him to go home I think!