By Hailey Gomez
A concert hall roof in Moscow, Russia, partially collapsed Friday after a terrorist attack left at least 40 people dead and more than 100 injured, BBC confirmed.
Video footage posted to Twitter circulated images of Crocus City Hall engulfed in flames after several gunmen were seen entering the building and opening fire. While it is reported that a number of children and teens were using the building for a ballroom dancing competition, people were additionally gathering in the space for a rock concert, according to BBC.
In horrifying video clips, the men could be seen dressed in camouflage and opening fire on people within what appears to be the main entrance to the hall. The men continued to fire at citizens while people could be heard screaming and running for cover. (RELATED: Gunmen Open Fire At Moscow Concert Hall, Killing Dozens: REPORTS)
Breaking: Shocking video emerges capturing the initial moments of a horrifying attack on Crocus City Hall attendees. Two individuals, faces concealed, were filmed opening fire on the crowd with automatic weapons. Tragically, it appears none at the entrance survived.… pic.twitter.com/eZqfTvbsNf
— WorldNews (@FirstWorldNewss) March 22, 2024
The shooting begins in Crocus City Hall: people hear the sounds of machine gun fire, single shots and hide .
According to preliminary data from the FSB, 40 people were killed and more than 100 were injured as a result of the terrorist attack. pic.twitter.com/7cs7VSC0Ml
— S p r i n t e r F a c t o r y (@Sprinterfactory) March 22, 2024
Additional clips showed brief images of people lying dead on the floor after being hit, as well as some ducking for cover as the gunmen could be seen continuing to open fire in the aisles of the concert hall. As Russian authorities had rushed to aid residents, they were reportedly able to evacuate 100 people who had been hiding in the basement, according to BBC.
Disturbing footage :
Crocus city hall , Moscow . Terrorists shooting innocent civilians . pic.twitter.com/QgdWVO01RL
— Prashanth Rangaswamy (@itisprashanth) March 22, 2024
Dead people at the entrance of the Crocus City Hall. The videographer runs away after he sees one of the attackers. Moscow pic.twitter.com/ygFSPzfn6r
— Nathan R 🇳🇿 (@nathanraynott) March 22, 2024
Footage captured the moment people could be seen running across a bridge from the concert hall to safety as people watched nearby.
Hundreds of people run across the bridge from Crocus to escape the shooting#Moscow #Москва
Pray for Moscow. pic.twitter.com/iX50bYiY8Y— 𝐀𝐫𝐣𝐮𝐧 𝐉𝐚𝐤𝐡𝐚𝐫 (@ArjunPMO) March 22, 2024
Three gunmen dressed in military camouflage and armed with assault rifles have launched an attack at Crocus City Hall, a shopping center in northwest Moscow, resulting in at least 20 fatalities.
Is this the terrorist attack that the US Government had warned about? pic.twitter.com/gEFNyR9S5Q
— Shadow of Ezra (@ShadowofEzra) March 22, 2024
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.
ISIS, through its outlet al-Amaq, just claimed responsibility for the terror attack in Moscow tonight.
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) March 22, 2024
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.
