At least 40 people have been killed after gunmen attacked a packed concert venue on the outskirts of Moscow.
Around 100 people were also hurt when gunmen in camouflage clothing opened fire with automatic weapons on people at a concert in the Crocus City Hall on Friday.
In one of the worst such attacks in Russia in years, at least five people were shown in unverified videos firing repeatedly at screaming civilians cowering in the concert hall as Soviet-era rock group 'Picnic' was about to perform at around 8pm local time. Flames leapt into the sky and plumes of black smoke rose above the venue as hundreds of blue lights from emergency vehicles flashed into the night
Helicopters sought to douse the flames and evacuated around 100 people from the basement, Russian media reported.
Police, special forces and 70 ambulances attended the scene, with some video footage showing a number of people lying motionless in pools of blood outside the hall. Other video footage showed the men shooting people below what looked like an entrance sign to 'Crocus City Hall'.
Another horrific clip showed at least four people attacking the crowd with guns, to the sounds of shots ringing around the building and smashed glass.
All the tickets in the 6,200-seat concert hall had been sold out.
State news agency TASS cited Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), the main successor to the Soviet-era KGB, as saying 40 people had been killed and more than 100 wounded.
Russian media reported a second blast at the venue and there were reports that some of the gunmen had barricaded themselves somewhere in the building.
It was not immediately unclear who the attackers were. No group has yet claimed responsibility.
After the attack, Russia tightened security at airports, transportation stations and across the capital - a vast urban area of over 21 million people.
'A terrible tragedy occurred in the shopping centre Crocus City today,' Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said. 'I am sorry for the loved ones of the victims.' Source
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