Foreign Correspondence

[Amaunet]

Armed men take children hostage in Russia
Wed 1 September, 2004 07:44

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Armed men have attacked a school in a southern Russia region near Chechnya and seized hostages among schoolchildren and parents, Interfax news agency says.

A gunbattle broke out with police near the building in the southern Russian province of North Ossetia after the assault on the school. It said at least one man had been killed in the shootout.

The agency said the gunmen may also have attacked a second school, but other agencies did not confirm this.

The gunmen staged their attack on the first day of the new school year.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's envoy in the region said: "At the moment police are being called to the scene. It is not immediately clear how many schoolchildren and parents have been taken.

"There is a shootout in the area," the envoy, Vladimir Yakovlev said.

http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=574658§ion=news