Beslan families continue to grieve two years after the school massacre

Floral tributes mark the second anniversary of the Beslan school massacre in North Ossetia in which 333 people died, more than half of them children. Hundreds of families and rescue service personnel formed long lines before laying flowers inside the ruins of “School Number One”.

The horror is still fresh in the minds of local residents with most in the small town having been touched by the atrocity. The three day standoff with pro-Chechen militants who took over the school, ended when special forces launched an assault. Only one militant survived – he was eventually convicted of murder and terrorism.

Two years later and the long awaited official report continue to be delayed. Recently one investigator said grenades fired by the security forces could have triggered the blood bath. The government view is that bombs planted by the hostage takers went off just before the gun battle.

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