Moscow, Oct 29: At least 108 bodies of 117 hostages killed in the Moscow hostage drama have been identified, a Russian prosecutor has said.
However, the Interfax news agency quoted prosecutor Mikhail Avdyukov as saying yesterday that the toll could yet rise sharply as 45 former hostages remain in critical condition.
Meanwhile, information on the foreign hostages finally reached embassies after days of frantic search.
According to US Embassy officials, one US citizen had already been released from hospital and another remained in medical care. There was no information on two other US residents who had reportedly been among the hostages.
All ex-hostages from Yugoslavia, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Belarus, Moldova, Latvia and Kyrgyzstan were in medical care and feeling moderately well, their respective embassies said.

Four out of 33 Ukrainian citizens who had been among the hostages remained missing, the Ukrainian Embassy said. Three Ukrainians were killed in the drama.

A 13-year-old Kazakh girl also perished in the hostage crisis, while three other Kazakh citizens, including the girl's mother, were fine.

Bureau Report