Russia began counting the cost today at the end of siege of a school captured by Chechen gunmen

Russia began counting the cost today at the end of siege of a school captured by Chechen gunmen which killed at least 200 people and cast fresh doubts on Moscow's policy in the turbulent region. The storming of the school by Russian forces plunged the small town of Beslan into pandemonium. Troops and armed civilians advanced on the red brick building after explosions inside, as pupils, parents and teachers, many drenched in blood, were carried out on stretchers or in the arms of burly local men. Figures issued by authorities in North Ossetia, west of Chechnya, said more than 200 people had been killed, while 531 remained in hospital, 92 in serious condition. Officials said 27 hostage-takers had been killed and three taken alive. But after a day of drama broadcast on television, President Vladimir Putin had still to make a public address. Key ministers were also silent, leaving local officials to issue statements. Putin appeared on television on Thursday telling the visiting king of Jordan the hostages' safety was paramount. Western governments offered sympathy to Putin at the end of the school siege. But the European Union, in a statement issued once the scale of death became apparent, also wanted an explanation from Russia "how this tragedy could have happened".