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CNN Live Sunday
Russian Officials Say Gas Responsible for Death of 115 Hostages
Aired October 27, 2002 - 18:14 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.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Russian health officials say gas, not gunfire, was responsible for 115 of 117 hostage deaths in that standoff at a Moscow theater. Now that revelation has angered many in Russia. CNN's Mike Hanna has more on the fallout from Moscow.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIKE HANNA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Relatives and friends of the rescued hostages had been demanding details of why their friends and relatives were still in hospital and why so many hostages had died in the rescue that happened I the early hours of Saturday morning.
HANNA (voice over): Answers came from the Russian authorities and very serious answers indeed. Russian medical officials have announced that all but two of the 117 hostages who died, died as a result of complications coming from the inhalation of gas.
Now, gas was used by Russian Special Forces shortly before they stormed the Moscow Theater in the early hours of Saturday morning, the reason for this, to subdue instantly the Chechen separatists who had wired themselves to explosives and threatened to detonate these explosives should the Russian forces storm the theater.
According to medical officials, the narcotic used in this operation was similar to one used in surgery. However, the concentrations used were intense to ensure that the Chechen separatists were unable to detonate those explosives that they placed in the theater and attached to their bodies. Also, say medical officials, the conditions of the hostages over 58 hours in the theater had made them more susceptible to the effects of the gas.
They said that the hostages had been sitting in one place for a number of time. Some of them had chronic illnesses in the first place, all of these a combination of factors that led to some hostages being sicker than others and also to some hostages actually dying. And further details provided by the medical authorities, more than 600 of the hostages are still receiving treatment in hospital, about 200 of them in intensive car wards, and an estimated 40 hostages are described as being in a critical condition.
HANNA (on camera): The sense of euphoria that followed the end to this hostage crisis now dissipating; now being replaced by a sense of anger. Monday has been declared a national day of mourning but amidst the grief, mounting anger. The Chechen separatists who were responsible for the situation in the first place are mostly dead but the possibility not that the authorities too will be held accountable. Mike Hanna CNN, Moscow.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: White House Spokesman Ari Fleischer spoke with reporters just a short time ago about the president's reaction to the news from Russia. Mr. Bush is right now on his way to Phoenix, Arizona for a political rally after leaving the APEC Summit in Mexico earlier today. CNN White House correspondent Kelly Wallace is traveling with the president and she joins us now -- Kelly.
KELLY WALLACE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Anderson, the White House is not formally commenting just yet on the use of gas by those Russian security forces and holding back any criticism. Ari Fleischer, the president's spokesman, saying the administration doesn't have all the facts and doesn't know all the circumstances.
Now the president has arrived here in Phoenix and will be doing some campaigning. He and his aides, though, voicing some support for what the Russian government has been going through, the White House calling this a tragedy and saying it was a tragedy caused as a result of the terrorists who took hostages, booby-trapped the building and created dire circumstance.
Now Mr. Bush comes here to Phoenix after that weekend summit where he didn't exactly get everything he was looking for when it comes to Iraq and North Korea. The 21 leaders of the Asia Pacific Conference meeting in Mexico issuing a statement about North Korea after the country admitted it has an active nuclear weapons program the statement, though, not as forceful as the administration would have liked. It did not include any condemnation of Pyongyang.
Instead, the 21 leaders saying: "We uphold that a nuclear weapons-free Korean Peninsula is important to peace and stability of the peninsula and northeast Asia. We call upon the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea to visibly honor its commitment to give up nuclear weapons." Now there was also no condemnation yesterday in that statement issued by the U.S., Japan, and South Korea, which also called on North Korea to dismantle its nuclear weapons program. But Ari Fleischer, the president's spokesman, seeing things rather differently, saying the administration believes these are two rather strong statements. He said: "In diplomatic-ese it doesn't get much stronger than what the leaders did here."
Now as for the subject of Iraq, still the president facing a difficult diplomatic challenge. He failed to get any public commitment from Mexico's President Vicente Fox for that tough new U.N. resolution he is fighting for. That resolution would call for Iraq to suffer serious consequences if Iraqi Leader Saddam Hussein does not disarm. Mexico happens to be a member of the U.N. Security Council.
The president indicating his patience with the U.N. debate is wearing thin, the message from the president and his top aides is the U.N. must wrap up this debate very soon, the president saying if the U.N. does not pass the resolution, then he will lead a coalition of allies to deal with the Iraqi leader -- Anderson.
COOPER: All right, Kelly Wallace, thanks very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Hostages>
Aired October 27, 2002 - 18:14 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Russian health officials say gas, not gunfire, was responsible for 115 of 117 hostage deaths in that standoff at a Moscow theater. Now that revelation has angered many in Russia. CNN's Mike Hanna has more on the fallout from Moscow.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIKE HANNA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Relatives and friends of the rescued hostages had been demanding details of why their friends and relatives were still in hospital and why so many hostages had died in the rescue that happened I the early hours of Saturday morning.
HANNA (voice over): Answers came from the Russian authorities and very serious answers indeed. Russian medical officials have announced that all but two of the 117 hostages who died, died as a result of complications coming from the inhalation of gas.
Now, gas was used by Russian Special Forces shortly before they stormed the Moscow Theater in the early hours of Saturday morning, the reason for this, to subdue instantly the Chechen separatists who had wired themselves to explosives and threatened to detonate these explosives should the Russian forces storm the theater.
According to medical officials, the narcotic used in this operation was similar to one used in surgery. However, the concentrations used were intense to ensure that the Chechen separatists were unable to detonate those explosives that they placed in the theater and attached to their bodies. Also, say medical officials, the conditions of the hostages over 58 hours in the theater had made them more susceptible to the effects of the gas.
They said that the hostages had been sitting in one place for a number of time. Some of them had chronic illnesses in the first place, all of these a combination of factors that led to some hostages being sicker than others and also to some hostages actually dying. And further details provided by the medical authorities, more than 600 of the hostages are still receiving treatment in hospital, about 200 of them in intensive car wards, and an estimated 40 hostages are described as being in a critical condition.
HANNA (on camera): The sense of euphoria that followed the end to this hostage crisis now dissipating; now being replaced by a sense of anger. Monday has been declared a national day of mourning but amidst the grief, mounting anger. The Chechen separatists who were responsible for the situation in the first place are mostly dead but the possibility not that the authorities too will be held accountable. Mike Hanna CNN, Moscow.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: White House Spokesman Ari Fleischer spoke with reporters just a short time ago about the president's reaction to the news from Russia. Mr. Bush is right now on his way to Phoenix, Arizona for a political rally after leaving the APEC Summit in Mexico earlier today. CNN White House correspondent Kelly Wallace is traveling with the president and she joins us now -- Kelly.
KELLY WALLACE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Anderson, the White House is not formally commenting just yet on the use of gas by those Russian security forces and holding back any criticism. Ari Fleischer, the president's spokesman, saying the administration doesn't have all the facts and doesn't know all the circumstances.
Now the president has arrived here in Phoenix and will be doing some campaigning. He and his aides, though, voicing some support for what the Russian government has been going through, the White House calling this a tragedy and saying it was a tragedy caused as a result of the terrorists who took hostages, booby-trapped the building and created dire circumstance.
Now Mr. Bush comes here to Phoenix after that weekend summit where he didn't exactly get everything he was looking for when it comes to Iraq and North Korea. The 21 leaders of the Asia Pacific Conference meeting in Mexico issuing a statement about North Korea after the country admitted it has an active nuclear weapons program the statement, though, not as forceful as the administration would have liked. It did not include any condemnation of Pyongyang.
Instead, the 21 leaders saying: "We uphold that a nuclear weapons-free Korean Peninsula is important to peace and stability of the peninsula and northeast Asia. We call upon the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea to visibly honor its commitment to give up nuclear weapons." Now there was also no condemnation yesterday in that statement issued by the U.S., Japan, and South Korea, which also called on North Korea to dismantle its nuclear weapons program. But Ari Fleischer, the president's spokesman, seeing things rather differently, saying the administration believes these are two rather strong statements. He said: "In diplomatic-ese it doesn't get much stronger than what the leaders did here."
Now as for the subject of Iraq, still the president facing a difficult diplomatic challenge. He failed to get any public commitment from Mexico's President Vicente Fox for that tough new U.N. resolution he is fighting for. That resolution would call for Iraq to suffer serious consequences if Iraqi Leader Saddam Hussein does not disarm. Mexico happens to be a member of the U.N. Security Council.
The president indicating his patience with the U.N. debate is wearing thin, the message from the president and his top aides is the U.N. must wrap up this debate very soon, the president saying if the U.N. does not pass the resolution, then he will lead a coalition of allies to deal with the Iraqi leader -- Anderson.
COOPER: All right, Kelly Wallace, thanks very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Hostages>
