On the evening of March 22, Natalya had just taken off her coat and was standing in line at the entrance to a 6,200-seat concert hall on the outskirts of Moscow, where a Soviet-era rock group was preparing to perform.
"I was just about to go inside when the gunshots came from behind me," Natalya said. "The noise was like firecrackers, fireworks, but they were continuous. I could hear it right behind me."
"Everyone was screaming and running," said Natalya. She immediately fled to a nearby metro station in the cold Moscow night without a coat. "I had terrible emotions. It was a nightmare."
Russian Emergencies Ministry workers clear debris from the concert hall of the Crocus City Hall shopping mall after a terrorist attack. Photo: Russian Emergencies Ministry
More than 143 people have been killed and dozens more injured in the deadliest attack in Russia since the 2004 Beslan school siege. The self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) terrorist organization has claimed responsibility for the incident.
Russia's FSB security service said 11 people, including four suspects, were detained in the Bryansk region, about 340 km (215 miles) southwest of Moscow. They were caught as they approached the border to flee to Ukraine. Kiev has denied any involvement in the attack.
According to witnesses, the men, dressed in camouflage and wearing combat vests containing dozens of spare magazines, arrived at the Crocus City Hall shopping mall at around 7:40 p.m. on March 22 (local time) in a pickup truck. They then jumped out of the truck's rear door and headed toward the entrance with weapons.
They shot straight through the glass doors at the main entrance, spraying indiscriminately at anyone who passed by. Dozens of bodies lay motionless in pools of blood on the marble floor at the main entrance.
Some people used their hands to smash the locks on emergency exit doors and windows as gunfire echoed around the mall's lobby, just 20 kilometers (12 miles) west of the Kremlin.
After opening fire on people at the entrance, the gunmen entered the concert hall just as hundreds of people were taking their seats to enjoy the sold-out concert.
"Some people thought the gunshots were some kind of special effect for the show," said a witness named Anastasia Rodionova. "Then I saw with my own eyes people falling down and machine gun fire started."
"My instinct to defend myself kicked in, my eyes widened, where could I run?" Rodionova recalled, adding that some men broke down the doors to run out into the street and escape.
The loudspeaker began to blare that the concert was cancelled due to "technical reasons". Everyone was asked to leave the hall.
Verified video shows people rushing to the exits as gunfire and screams ring out. The attackers move through the concert hall and then fire volleys of bullets at civilians.
A wounded woman being treated in Moscow said she fell to the floor when the gunmen opened fire. She then crawled to the exit to escape. "A girl next to me was killed," she said.
People lay flowers in memory of the victims of the shooting at Crocus City Hall. Photo: Reuters
As the gunmen ravaged the mall, some people ran outside, while others cowered in fear behind maroon chairs. One woman said she told her friend to lie down behind a chair as the gunfire grew closer.
According to Russian investigators, after the shooting, the terrorists started to set fire to the building. Some witnesses said that the gunmen poured some kind of liquid on the seats and curtains in some places before setting fire.
The fire quickly spread over an area of 12,900 square meters, creating a column of black smoke billowing into the night sky. Despite their clothes catching fire, some people tried to jump over the flames in the hope of escaping the "hell".
The roof collapsed and hundreds of firefighters battled for hours to contain the blaze that consumed the entire hall. All that remained were charred iron support beams and the steel frames of hundreds of chairs.
The Baza Telegram channel, known for its close ties to Russian special services, said 14 bodies were found on the evacuation stairs and 28 bodies were found in a toilet. Among them were the bodies of an entire family, as well as the bodies of mothers holding their dead children.
Hoai Phuong (according to Reuters)
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