Russian media reports that at least 40 people died in a shooting followed by a fire in a Moscow concert hall. The shooting occurred in the town hall of Crocus, northwest of the Russian capital.
According to journalists from the state agencies TASS and Ria Novosti The attackers used “automatic weapons.”
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin announced that “several people” had died and expressed condolences to the families of the victims.
The Russian Foreign Ministry, for its part, called on the international community to condemn what it called a “bloody terrorist attack.” “The entire international community is obliged to condemn this terrible crime,” foreign affairs spokeswoman Maria Zajárova wrote on her Telegram channel.
The United States deplored the “horrific” attack and the White House promised to seek information about the attack. “We are thinking about the victims of this terrible shooting,” said John Kirby, spokesman for the National Security Council. “The images are just horrific and difficult to see,” the official said.