Interfax-AVN

DEATH TOLL FROM ZNAMENSKOYE ATTACK DOWN TO 50

The recent terrorist attack in the Chechen town of Znamenskoye killed 50 people and seriously injured 15, Sultan Akhmetkhanov, a spokesman for the local administration, told Interfax on Thursday.

In total, 436 people had to seek medical attention after the terrorist act, he said.

Earlier he said in an interview with Interfax that the death toll from the attack stood at 60. He said that the reason for the change in the reported number of deaths was the fact that the names of some of the victims were incorrectly recorded twice under different names. The majority of these people were women, who were identified by several people and named by their maiden names and their husbands' family names.

This information is final and has been checked through several channels, Akhmetkhanov said.

The victims' families have received compensation for burial expenses. Each family received RUB30,000 (USD975) from the Chechen Republic's budget. Fifteen people who were seriously injured have received RUB15,000 (USD487.4) each.

Akhmetkhanov recalled that in the next few days the Russian government will pass a decree to pay RUB100,000 (USD3,250) to the family of each victim of the blast and RUB50,000 (USD1,620) to the family of each injured person.