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A group of armed men opened fire at a concert hall in a Moscow suburb on Friday night, according to Russian authorities and state-run media, with multiple people reportedly injured and others believed to have been killed.
Videos shared online showed at least two masked men entering the Crocus City Hall, with one repeatedly firing shots from what appeared to be an assault rifle.
Other videos showed people evacuating a concert hall and running down a stairwell. Footage published by the state-run TASS news agency shows a massive fire at Crocus City Hall, which is located around 16 kilometers northwest of the center of Moscow.
Shortly following initial news reports of the shooting, Moscow region Governor Andrei Vorobyov said he had arrived at the scene and was leading response efforts to the incident.
More than 70 ambulance teams were working near Crocus City Hall and medics were helping those who had been injured, Vorobyov said.
Spetznaz and riot police units were sent to respond to the incident, the TASS news agency reported, citing an anonymous law enforcement source.
According to reporters at the concert hall, three men fired on the crowds.
"People in camouflage broke into the stalls of Crocus City Hall, at least three of them opened fire with automatic weapons. There are definitely wounded," a reporter at the scene was quoted as saying by the RIA Novosti news agency.
According to the reporter, a grenade or an incendiary bomb was thrown after the shooting broke out, causing a fire at the concert hall.
"The people in the hall were lying down on the floor to escape from the shooting, lying between 15 and 20 minutes, after which they began to crawl out. Many managed to get out," the reporter said.
Various anonymous Telegram channels have reported multiple people being killed in Friday night's shooting, but these reports could not be immediately verified, and the Russian authorities have yet to issue an official statement about deaths or injuries.
Emergency services said they were working to evacuate people from Crocus City Hall.
"Around 100 people have been evacuated from the basement by firefighters. Work is ongoing to save people from the roof of the building with lifting equipment," the Moscow region's branch of the Emergency Situations Ministry wrote on Telegram.
Meanwhile, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said he had given orders to provide assistance to those affected by Friday evening's shooting.
"A terrible tragedy happened today at the Crocus City shopping center. My condolences to the victims' loved ones," he said, adding later that all public events in the Russian capital had been canceled for the weekend.
Similarly, the White House sent its condolences to the victims of the shooting, saying it was trying to get more information.
"Our thoughts are with the victims of this terrible shooting attack," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters. "The images are just horrible and just hard to watch."
This is a breaking news story.
