A ceremony has taken place to mark the fifth anniversary of the Beslan school massacre – Russia’s worst terrorist attack. It was in the school’s gymnasium that 32 heavily armed militants held more than 1,000 parents and pupils hostage. The siege ended nearly three days later when security forces stormed the building in a bid to rescue the hostages. But in the ensuing gunbattle, 333 people were killed, more than half of them children.

Many of the victims families are still angry as they claim authorities have refused to properly investigate the attack. In the year after the outrage, Nurpashi Kulayev, the only hostage taker caught alive, was jailed for life. Other terrorists are thought to have escaped.More about: Anniversary, Hostages, Russia

Copyright © 2012 euronews