Rescuers work to extinguish fire at the burning Crocus City Hall concert venue following the shooting incident, outside Moscow.Image caption: Rescuers work to extinguish fire at the burning Crocus City Hall concert venue following the shooting incident, outside Moscow.
A helicopter has been sent to help extinguish the fire at the Crocus City Hall, Russia's state-owned news agency TASS reports.
Images from the scene show smoke and flames billowing from the roof of the structure, which houses a mall and concert theatre.
Five gunmen may have been involved - reports
According to the Interfax news agency, a group of up to five people were involved in the shooting attack and blast at the Crocus concert venue.
The group are thought to have been wearing camouflage outfits and were armed with automatic weapons, the report from Interfax said.
Another report, by state news agency TASS, said there are still people inside the building, which is on fire.
Thousands in venue during attack
Will Vernon
BBC News, former Moscow reporter
Russian media reports that up to 6,200 people were in the
hall at the time of the attack – that’s how many tickets had been sold for
the concert, of the famous Russian rock band Picnic.
The maximum capacity of Crocus City Hall is 9,500, according
to the venue’s website.
Moscow airport tightens security
Moscow's Vnukovo International Airport is increasing security measures in the wake of the attack at the concert hall in Krasnogorsk this evening. Railway stations in the capital are also stepping up security, according to Russian news agency reports.
Early images from outside Crocus concert hall
We're getting some early images from outside the Crocus City Hall concert venue. As the blaze inside continues, a large number of law enforcement and emergency personnel have gathered outside.
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
Vehicles of Russian emergency services are parked near the burning Crocus City Hall concert venue following a reported shooting incident, outside Moscow, Russia, March 22, 2024.Image caption: Vehicles of Russian emergency services are parked near the burning Crocus City Hall concert venue following a reported shooting incident, outside Moscow, Russia, March 22, 2024.
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
Russian law enforcement officers posted near the burning Crocus City Hall concert venue following a reported shooting incident, outside Moscow, Russia, March 22, 2024.Image caption: Russian law enforcement officers posted near the burning Crocus City Hall concert venue following a reported shooting incident, outside Moscow, Russia, March 22, 2024.
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
A Russian law enforcement officer stands guard near the burning Crocus City Hall concert venue following a reported shooting incident, outside Moscow, Russia, March 22, 2024.Image caption: A Russian law enforcement officer stands guard near the burning Crocus City Hall concert venue following a reported shooting incident, outside Moscow, Russia, March 22, 2024.
Watch: Inside concert hall as shots fired
Warning: This video may be distressing to some viewers
Video content
Video caption: People take cover as gunmen enter Moscow concert hallPeople take cover as gunmen enter Moscow concert hall
Chechen leader condemns 'brutality'
Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has released a statement saying: "I strongly condemn such acts of violence, brutality, and recklessness against civilians."
Kadyrov is an ally of President Putin.
BreakingWatch: Gunmen walk through venue, gunfire heard
Video content
Video caption: Video shows gunmen in concert hall lobbyVideo shows gunmen in concert hall lobby
No indication of Ukraine involvement - White House
We heard earlier from the White House that they are still gathering information on the attack on Moscow.
They have since said that there is "no indication at this time" of Ukraine's involvement in the ongoing assault.
The two countries have been at war since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
Moscow Mayor cancels all weekend events
City authorities have said that all "cultural, sporting and other events have been cancelled for
the weekend."
Witnesses recount 'terrorists shooting people'
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
Men cover themselves with blankets as a Russian law enforcement officer stands guard near the burning Crocus City Hall concert venue following the reported shooting incident.Image caption: Men cover themselves with blankets as a Russian law enforcement officer stands guard near the burning Crocus City Hall concert venue following the reported shooting incident.
Russian media outlets are relaying witness accounts from Crocus City Hall.
Vitaly says he was in the concert hall on one of
the balcony levels:
“We heard shots, we didn’t know what happened at first.
Then I saw some terrorists shooting people!
They threw some petrol bombs,
everything started burning. We were led out towards an exit. The exit door was
locked so we went to the basement of the venue, where we waited for rescuers."
An unnamed witness says parents were attending a
ballroom dancing competition with their children when the shooting started:
“Children and teenagers were at the competition. People came
and said there was shooting.
A crush ensued. The children were running out in
their ballroom gowns."
BreakingSecond explosion reported at concert hall
A second explosion has just been heard at Crocus City Hall near Moscow, according to Russian news agencies.
Russian politician calls it a terrorist attack
Russia's security service, the FSB, says it's taking "all necessary measures" in relation to the shooting at the concert hall near Moscow, Russian news agency Interfax reports.
Russia's human rights commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova says the incident is a "terrorist attack", in comments reported by the Reuters news agency.
Armed men in camouflage burst into hall
Steve Rosenberg
BBC Russia editor
Earlier this evening a number of armed men in camouflage burst into the
Crocus City Hall just before a pop concert and began shooting.
The hall was
packed with visitors and mobile phone footage shows scenes of chaos.
There are no official
figures yet as to how many people have been killed but there are reports of at least 12
people killed.
The building is on fire - possibly a third of the building - and we
believe dozens of people may be trapped inside the building.
There are also reports
that a number of the gunmen may have barricaded themselves inside the building, so this is still going on.
Obviously this is a very serious situation with Russian special forces deployed to the scene, as well
as 50 ambulances. This suggests the authorities fear the casualty toll could be quite high.
White House working to gather more information on attack
EPACopyright: EPA
Emergency services vehicles are seen outside the burning Crocus City Hall concert hall following the shooting incident in Krasnogorsk, outside Moscow.Image caption: Emergency services vehicles are seen outside the burning Crocus City Hall concert hall following the shooting incident in Krasnogorsk, outside Moscow.
John Kirby, the spokesperson for the National Security Council, just said the White House is working to gather more information on the attack.
"Our thoughts obviously
are going to be with the victims of this terrible, terrible shooting
attack," he said at a regularly scheduled press briefing.
The US State Department has put out a notice to Americans in Moscow to avoid larger gatherings "for their own safety", he said
He also asked that those Americans stay in contact with the State Department for further updates and information.
100 rescued from basement but others stuck on rooftop
We're hearing that about 100 people have been rescued from the basement of the concert hall, according to emergency officials involved in the rescue.
However, there are still people stuck on the roof of the building, according to Russian news agencies.
Scenes of panic in footage posted to Telegram
BBC Monitoring
The world through its media
Various Russian Telegram news channels have published footage that shows at least one person having been shot at Crocus City Hall, as well as sounds of shooting and scenes of panic.
Popular pro-Kremlin channel Readovka reported that at least 12 people might have died in the attack, and 50 more were injured.
State RIA Novosti news agency reported that at least three attackers wearing camouflage opened fire at the venue.
One video published by popular breaking news Telegram channel Baza showed flames and a huge plume of smoke rising from what was said to be the concert venue.
National Guard at concert venue
Special units of Russia’s National Guard have
arrived at the concert venue in the Moscow region, according to the Reuters news agency.
More than 50 ambulances are also heading to
the scene, Russian state media is reporting.
Smoke rises from concert hall
Here's one of the first images we're seeing from the attack showing plumes of smoke rising from the concert hall in Krasnogorsk, a suburb of Moscow.
Reports say a fire has spread through the building.
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
Attack on Moscow-area concert hall
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of what appears to be a serious attack at a concert hall in a suburb of Moscow.
Multiple Russian news agencies have reported shooting and a fire at Crocus City Hall in Krasnogorsk.
Photographs from the scene show huge plumes of smoke and a large fire on a building’s rooftop.
"Unknown people opened fire at the Crocus City Hall. The evacuation of people is ongoing," emergency services told TASS news agency.
Stay with us as we bring you the latest from this developing situation.
Live Reporting
Edited by Robert Plummer
All times stated are UK
Get involved
Helicopter sent to concert hall fire
A helicopter has been sent to help extinguish the fire at the Crocus City Hall, Russia's state-owned news agency TASS reports.
Images from the scene show smoke and flames billowing from the roof of the structure, which houses a mall and concert theatre.
Five gunmen may have been involved - reports
According to the Interfax news agency, a group of up to five people were involved in the shooting attack and blast at the Crocus concert venue.
The group are thought to have been wearing camouflage outfits and were armed with automatic weapons, the report from Interfax said.
Another report, by state news agency TASS, said there are still people inside the building, which is on fire.
Thousands in venue during attack
Will Vernon
BBC News, former Moscow reporter
Russian media reports that up to 6,200 people were in the hall at the time of the attack – that’s how many tickets had been sold for the concert, of the famous Russian rock band Picnic.
The maximum capacity of Crocus City Hall is 9,500, according to the venue’s website.
Moscow airport tightens security
Moscow's Vnukovo International Airport is increasing security measures in the wake of the attack at the concert hall in Krasnogorsk this evening. Railway stations in the capital are also stepping up security, according to Russian news agency reports.
Early images from outside Crocus concert hall
We're getting some early images from outside the Crocus City Hall concert venue. As the blaze inside continues, a large number of law enforcement and emergency personnel have gathered outside.
Watch: Inside concert hall as shots fired
Warning: This video may be distressing to some viewers
Video content
Chechen leader condemns 'brutality'
Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has released a statement saying: "I strongly condemn such acts of violence, brutality, and recklessness against civilians."
Kadyrov is an ally of President Putin.
BreakingWatch: Gunmen walk through venue, gunfire heard
Video content
No indication of Ukraine involvement - White House
We heard earlier from the White House that they are still gathering information on the attack on Moscow.
They have since said that there is "no indication at this time" of Ukraine's involvement in the ongoing assault.
The two countries have been at war since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
Moscow Mayor cancels all weekend events
City authorities have said that all "cultural, sporting and other events have been cancelled for the weekend."
Witnesses recount 'terrorists shooting people'
Russian media outlets are relaying witness accounts from Crocus City Hall.
Vitaly says he was in the concert hall on one of the balcony levels:
“We heard shots, we didn’t know what happened at first. Then I saw some terrorists shooting people!
They threw some petrol bombs, everything started burning. We were led out towards an exit. The exit door was locked so we went to the basement of the venue, where we waited for rescuers."
An unnamed witness says parents were attending a ballroom dancing competition with their children when the shooting started:
“Children and teenagers were at the competition. People came and said there was shooting.
A crush ensued. The children were running out in their ballroom gowns."
BreakingSecond explosion reported at concert hall
A second explosion has just been heard at Crocus City Hall near Moscow, according to Russian news agencies.
Russian politician calls it a terrorist attack
Russia's security service, the FSB, says it's taking "all necessary measures" in relation to the shooting at the concert hall near Moscow, Russian news agency Interfax reports.
Russia's human rights commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova says the incident is a "terrorist attack", in comments reported by the Reuters news agency.
Armed men in camouflage burst into hall
Steve Rosenberg
BBC Russia editor
Earlier this evening a number of armed men in camouflage burst into the Crocus City Hall just before a pop concert and began shooting.
The hall was packed with visitors and mobile phone footage shows scenes of chaos.
There are no official figures yet as to how many people have been killed but there are reports of at least 12 people killed.
The building is on fire - possibly a third of the building - and we believe dozens of people may be trapped inside the building.
There are also reports that a number of the gunmen may have barricaded themselves inside the building, so this is still going on.
Obviously this is a very serious situation with Russian special forces deployed to the scene, as well as 50 ambulances. This suggests the authorities fear the casualty toll could be quite high.
White House working to gather more information on attack
John Kirby, the spokesperson for the National Security Council, just said the White House is working to gather more information on the attack.
"Our thoughts obviously are going to be with the victims of this terrible, terrible shooting attack," he said at a regularly scheduled press briefing.
The US State Department has put out a notice to Americans in Moscow to avoid larger gatherings "for their own safety", he said
He also asked that those Americans stay in contact with the State Department for further updates and information.
100 rescued from basement but others stuck on rooftop
We're hearing that about 100 people have been rescued from the basement of the concert hall, according to emergency officials involved in the rescue.
However, there are still people stuck on the roof of the building, according to Russian news agencies.
Scenes of panic in footage posted to Telegram
BBC Monitoring
The world through its media
Various Russian Telegram news channels have published footage that shows at least one person having been shot at Crocus City Hall, as well as sounds of shooting and scenes of panic.
Popular pro-Kremlin channel Readovka reported that at least 12 people might have died in the attack, and 50 more were injured.
State RIA Novosti news agency reported that at least three attackers wearing camouflage opened fire at the venue.
One video published by popular breaking news Telegram channel Baza showed flames and a huge plume of smoke rising from what was said to be the concert venue.
National Guard at concert venue
Special units of Russia’s National Guard have arrived at the concert venue in the Moscow region, according to the Reuters news agency.
More than 50 ambulances are also heading to the scene, Russian state media is reporting.
Smoke rises from concert hall
Here's one of the first images we're seeing from the attack showing plumes of smoke rising from the concert hall in Krasnogorsk, a suburb of Moscow.
Reports say a fire has spread through the building.
Attack on Moscow-area concert hall
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of what appears to be a serious attack at a concert hall in a suburb of Moscow.
Multiple Russian news agencies have reported shooting and a fire at Crocus City Hall in Krasnogorsk.
Photographs from the scene show huge plumes of smoke and a large fire on a building’s rooftop.
"Unknown people opened fire at the Crocus City Hall. The evacuation of people is ongoing," emergency services told TASS news agency.
Stay with us as we bring you the latest from this developing situation.