Nearly 100 still missing after Moscow attack, reports Russian news site
According to a report from a Russian news outlet on Wednesday, around 95 individuals remain unaccounted for following last week's assault near Moscow, where assailants opened fire on concert attendees and set the venue ablaze.
The official death toll from the incident at Crocus City Hall currently stands at 140, with 182 wounded. However, Baza news service, known for its reliable connections in Russian security and law enforcement, revealed that an additional 95 individuals have been listed by emergency services based on appeals regarding missing relatives.
"These lists comprise individuals with whom family members have lost contact since the terrorist attack, yet are not among the wounded or deceased," Baza stated. "Some of these individuals may have perished but have yet to be identified."
Russian investigators confirmed that the attack involved four gunmen armed with Kalashnikov automatic rifles. The scene was littered with over 500 rounds of ammunition.
The assault commenced just before the Soviet-era band "Picnic" was scheduled to perform for a packed audience of 6,200. As reported by Baza on Saturday, citing sources from emergency services who reviewed surveillance footage, over 200 people may have been inside the blazing structure moments before its collapse.
Since the attack, Russian social media platforms have been inundated with pleas for information on missing persons. In a Telegram chat titled "Crocus. Help Centre," friends and relatives exchanged names of missing attendees and offered assistance.
Meanwhile, local media in the Bryansk region disclosed on Wednesday that a mother is still searching for her son, Dmitry Bashlykov, a Moscow schoolteacher who attended the concert with a friend. Bashlykov's name has not appeared on the emergencies ministry's list.
Tragically, several missing individuals have been confirmed deceased, including 15-year-old Arseny, who attended the concert with his mother, Irina Vedeneyeva. A photo purportedly sent by Arseny to his grandmother just before the event, shared on the SHOT Telegram channel, depicted him wearing a black hooded sweatshirt in front of a Picnic poster. His body was discovered and identified by relatives.
Both Irina Vedeneyeva and her son Arseny are among the confirmed deceased listed by Russia's emergencies ministry.
