Moscow concert hall attack: Death toll likely higher than reported, with 143 missing

The death toll from the Moscow concert hall terrorist attack is feared to be higher than 143. In a statement on Wednesday (Mar 27), Russian state investigations reported that they have received 143 reports of persons missing after last week's mass shooting in Moscow.

Some victims identified

The Investigative Committee, which deals with major crimes, also revealed that of the bodies found, 84 — including five children aged nine to 16 — have been identified so far.

It said that they were running tests to try to identify the remaining victims.

Missing names, missing people

On Wednesday, Telegram channel 'Baza', reportedly linked to Russia’s security services, stated that 95 individuals not listed among the 120 names in the official registry of victims were missing following the shooting at Crocus City Hall.

Their relatives have been unable to contact them since the attack on Friday, according to Baza.

As per reports, Russians took to social media to track down missing relatives.

It remains unclear whether the 84 bodies identified so far include those listed in the official registry, The Guardian said in a report.

Many victims are believed to have died from smoke inhalation after the attackers set the building on fire, causing the roof to collapse.

These two things also contributed to making some bodies unrecognisable, reports Telegram channel '112' citing an unnamed source.

"In many cases, only fragments of the bodies remain," they added.

Who is responsible for the Moscow attack?

Islamic State (IS) has claimed responsibility for the attack, which is the deadliest on European soil by the group and the worst in Russia since the 2004 Beslan school siege.

However, some officials close to Vladimir Putin have indicated that Russia plans to blame Ukraine and the West for the attack, despite evidence linking the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), an Afghan offshoot of the terrorist group, to the incident.

Watch |Moscow Terror Attack | Russia questions US: 'Are you sure it was Islamic State?

Russian officials, including Alexander Bortnikov, director of the Federal Security Service (FSB), and Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of the security council of Russia, have accused Ukraine and its allies, the US and Britain, of involvement.

"We believe that the action was prepared by both the Islamist radicals themselves and was facilitated by western special services," said Bortnikov.

"The special services of Ukraine are directly related to this," he added.

However, there is no evidence to support these claims.

Ukraine has denied involvement in the attack, with officials pointing out that the border area was heavily guarded by Russian military, including special forces.

"To suggest the suspects were heading to Ukraine, would suggest they were stupid or suicidal," said Andriy Yusov, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian military intelligence directorate in a conversation with BBC.

(With inputs from agencies)