Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live At Daybreak

Day of Mourning in Russia

Aired October 28, 2002 - 05:33   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And this is a day of mourning in Russia for the 115 people killed in the hostage crisis. All of the deaths were caused by a mysterious knockout gas used by government forces during the raid.
We want to go live to Moscow now.

Matthew Chance is at the theater with more on this gas -- do we know what it was?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, it's very unclear what it is at the moment. Certainly the Moscow authorities, the Russian government has been referring to it variously as a special substance or a sleeping gas. Exactly what it is, though, isn't clear. Other people in the Russian government, from the health ministry, have called it some kind of anesthetic that was used that was pumped inside the auditorium with the intention, of course, of putting to sleep or dumbing down the reactions of the hostage takers.

The actual effect, though, was extremely tragic, it seems, and we're getting more details of that over the past 24 hours or so. It seems that the vast majority, almost all but one or two of the hostages that died in the special forces operation to end that very dramatic siege of this theater behind me, all of them but for one or two were killed as a result of inhaling this very potent substance that was pumped in, as I say, by special forces in the moments before they stormed the theater -- Carol.

COSTELLO: And, Matthew, literally there are hundreds of people still in the hospital suffering from the effects of this gas.

CHANCE: Yes, there still could be other people suffering as a result of this gas. It's not clear how many people are in serious condition. Certainly there are still many hundreds being kept inside the hospital still. Some of them are being screened by the Russian authorities, the Russian security services, because there is a suspicion that there may be a number of rebels that are trying to pass themselves off as hostages in order to escape the Russian authorities.

Obviously, though, this is causing a lot of anxiety outside the hospital gates. Anxious relatives have gathered, have been gathering outside those gates for the past few days, trying to get some information on the welfare of their loved ones.

Some people still don't even know whether their sons or daughters or parents are dead or alive. So obviously a lot of anxiety still being felt by the relatives and the loved ones of the people who were hostages inside that theater.

COSTELLO: I can't even imagine.

Matthew Chance, thank you for that live update from Moscow.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired October 28, 2002 - 05:33   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And this is a day of mourning in Russia for the 115 people killed in the hostage crisis. All of the deaths were caused by a mysterious knockout gas used by government forces during the raid.
We want to go live to Moscow now.

Matthew Chance is at the theater with more on this gas -- do we know what it was?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, it's very unclear what it is at the moment. Certainly the Moscow authorities, the Russian government has been referring to it variously as a special substance or a sleeping gas. Exactly what it is, though, isn't clear. Other people in the Russian government, from the health ministry, have called it some kind of anesthetic that was used that was pumped inside the auditorium with the intention, of course, of putting to sleep or dumbing down the reactions of the hostage takers.

The actual effect, though, was extremely tragic, it seems, and we're getting more details of that over the past 24 hours or so. It seems that the vast majority, almost all but one or two of the hostages that died in the special forces operation to end that very dramatic siege of this theater behind me, all of them but for one or two were killed as a result of inhaling this very potent substance that was pumped in, as I say, by special forces in the moments before they stormed the theater -- Carol.

COSTELLO: And, Matthew, literally there are hundreds of people still in the hospital suffering from the effects of this gas.

CHANCE: Yes, there still could be other people suffering as a result of this gas. It's not clear how many people are in serious condition. Certainly there are still many hundreds being kept inside the hospital still. Some of them are being screened by the Russian authorities, the Russian security services, because there is a suspicion that there may be a number of rebels that are trying to pass themselves off as hostages in order to escape the Russian authorities.

Obviously, though, this is causing a lot of anxiety outside the hospital gates. Anxious relatives have gathered, have been gathering outside those gates for the past few days, trying to get some information on the welfare of their loved ones.

Some people still don't even know whether their sons or daughters or parents are dead or alive. So obviously a lot of anxiety still being felt by the relatives and the loved ones of the people who were hostages inside that theater.

COSTELLO: I can't even imagine.

Matthew Chance, thank you for that live update from Moscow.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com