BBC has confirmed that a concert hall roof in Moscow, Russia, experienced a partial collapse on Friday following a terrorist attack that resulted in at least 40 fatalities and over 100 injuries.
Video footage shared on Twitter depicted Crocus City Hall ablaze after armed assailants entered the premises and opened fire.
The venue, hosting both a ballroom dancing competition involving children and teens and a rock concert, became a scene of chaos as gunmen dressed in camouflage unleashed gunfire, as per BBC reports. Shocking videos captured the assailants firing at civilians near the main entrance, prompting screams and frantic attempts to seek shelter.
Footage captured the moment people could be seen running across a bridge from the concert hall to safety as people watched nearby.
While Russian authorities have yet to confirm who is behind the attack, ISIS-K has reportedly claimed responsibility, according to online reports. U.S. intelligence had allegedly been warning Russia of “fairly specific” reports since November 2023 that ISIS-K had wanted to carry out an attack against Russia, however, it is unclear if Russia acted upon any of the warnings prior to the incident, according to Faytuks News.
Allegedly after the initial attack, several explosions had been heard before the hall was seen engulfed in flames, causing the roof near the theatre to collapse, according to BBC. The Russian National Guard is reportedly looking for the attackers who have yet to be identified, the outlet reported.
Since the time of publication, multiple reports have confirmed that the death toll has jumped up to 60 people with over 140 injured now.
While Russian President Vladimir Putin has yet to directly address the attack, Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova reportedly relayed the president’s wish for those injured to have a speedy recovery, according to BBC.
“The president wished everyone a speedy recovery and conveyed his gratitude to the doctors,” Golikova reportedly stated.
The White House has additionally weighed in on the incident, confirming that it had previously warned Russian authorities in early March about a possible terrorist attack on “large gatherings” within Moscow, according to National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson.
“Earlier this month, the US government had information about a planned terrorist attack in Moscow – potentially targeting large gatherings, to include concerts,” Watson told BBC.
