MOSCOW: Armed men opened fire at a concert hall in a Moscow suburb Friday leaving scores dead and injured before a major fire ripped through the building, Russian media reported.
The incident was also confirmed by Moscow’s mayor and Russian news agencies.
According to the RIA Novosti news agency, attackers dressed in camouflaged outfits entered the building, opened fire and threw a grenade or inflammable bomb.
The fire quickly spread to the Crocus City Hall in the north of the Russian capital. The theater can accommodate thousands of people and has hosted several concerts by top international artists.
Emergency services told the TASS news agency that unidentified people opened fire on Crocus Town Hall. Evacuation of people is still ongoing.
RIA Novosti quoted its reporters as saying that automatic fire caused casualties in the Hall.
Meanwhile, the White House sent its condolences to the victims of what it described a “terrible” shooting at the Moscow concert hall, adding it was trying to get more information.
“Our thoughts are with the victims of this terrible shooting attack,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told media. “The images are just horrible and just hard to watch.”
Moscow mayor has announced the cancellation of all public events planned this weekend in the country’s capital after the deadly shooting.
“I have decided to cancel all sporting, cultural events and other mass events in Moscow this weekend,” Sergei Sobyanin posted on Telegram.
Russia’s foreign ministry called the incident a “terrorist attack” and condemned it.
No details were shared on casualties but mayor of the city, Sergei Sobyanin confirmed there were deaths in the “terrible tragedy” at the concert by Russian rock band Piknik.
People present in the hall laid on the ground to protect themselves from the shooting for 15 or 20 minutes. People started crawling out when it was safe, the media reported, saying that security forces were at the scene.
The emergency services ministry posted on its Telegram channel that about 100 people escaped through the theatre basement while others were sheltering on the roof.
Telegram news channels Mash and Baza, which are considered close to the security forces, showed video depicting images of flames and black smoke pouring from the concert hall.
