On Sunday, cries rang through the bereaved town of Beslan as familes and friends mourned for the loved ones killed during the hostage crisis last week. The three-day seige killed nearly 350 children, parents and teachers.

Beslan, a small town of just 40,000, was filled with people walking around with photos of their lost relatives as coffins were being laid to the ground.

Casualty figures of the gun battle between Russian security forces and heavily-armed militants to free over 1000 hostages are unconfirmed. The official death toll announced by the government stood at 338 on Sunday evening but almost 200 are still unaccounted for.

Outraged at the shocking violence in Russia, the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Willians said "terrorists should be subject to life imprisonment for acts like these." He said that the hostage-takers in Beslan "were peforming evil acts, perhaps the most evil kind of action we can imagine, that in using other people only as instruments for their own purposes."

A gathering was also held in west London for a special service at the Russian Orthodox Church to mourn for those who died.

Around 300 people gathered for the special 20 minute service, and a candle ceremony was held for the victims along with solemn prayer.

"There are no words to express the sorrow, and today's service was marked by the enormous sense of tragedy," says Ivan Leonidov, one of the parishioners. "When so many lives have been lost it is beyond comprehension, but I think maybe the service will help some people to overcome their grief and anger."

Meanwhile, the Russian government admitted on Sunday that they had lied to the public about the magnitude of the hostage crisis. A broadcast on the Kremlin-controlled Rossiya network admitted the mistatements by government officials that claimed that 354 hostages were inside School No.1, an effort to minimise the magnitude of 1,200.

The broadcast showed footage of families of Beslan laying their loved ones to rest. "At such moments, society needs the truth," said anchor Sergei Brilyov.

Among the hostages killed in the massacre were dozens of Christian children. "Survivors are in dire need of spiritual counselling," and many are seeking religion and spiritual help. "We must stand with these people in prayer," said Sergey Rakhuba of Russian Ministries.



Jenny Lee
Ecumenical Press