REVIEW - Number Of Kerch College Attack Victims Increases

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th October, 2018) The death toll in the shooting and explosion at a college in Crimea's Kerch has risen to 21 as one of the wounded girls died during the transfer to the city of Simferopol.

On Wednesday, fourth-year student Vladislav Roslyakov perpetrated a shooting attack and detonated a bomb at the Kerch polytechnic college. According to the latest data, 21 people were killed and more than 50 were injured. A criminal case was initially opened under the Russian Criminal Code's article on terrorist attack, but it was later reclassified as the killing of two or more persons using a generally dangerous method. The shooter committed suicide in the college library.

An emergency services spokesperson told Sputnik that a 16-year-old girl injured in the shooting and explosion at the Kerch polytechnic college died on board of a medical helicopter during her evacuation to Simferopol.

Thus, at present the death toll stand at 21 people - 20 victims of the tragedy and the alleged killer himself.

The identification of those killed in the tragedy began on Wednesday night, and they all were identified by Thursday morning.

"The bodies of 19 victims were taken to the Kerch city morgue," a spokesperson for the operational headquarters at the emergency site told Sputnik, noting that the identification procedure was conducted with the help of psychologists of the Ministry of Emergency Situations.

Deputy Head of the city administration Dilyaver Melgaziyev told Sputnik that there were 15 students and five college employees among the victims.

"There are 15 students among those killed, including six minors and nine people aged 20-21. Five adults are the employees of the college," Melgaziev said.

The first funeral � of one of the victims, who was a Muslim � will be held on Thursday. The rest of the victims will be buried on Friday, Crimea's head Sergei Aksyonov said.

"One Muslim boy will be buried today. All the issues related to the autopsy will be held today," Aksyonov said.

A three-day mourning was declared in Crimea and Sevastopol.

More than 50 people were injured as a result of the tragedy. Russian Healthcare Minister Veronika Skvortsova told journalists on Thursday that 44 people still remained in hospitals.

"To date, 44 people remain in hospitals, 34 people are in moderate condition, seven in critical condition, three in serious condition. Therefore, some of them, six people, were evacuated to Simferopol. Now, six more people [are being evacuated] to Simferopol. Four people with minor wounds are in Temryuk. Two people with minor wounds were evacuated to Krasnodar, and six more people are being taken there now," Skvortsova said.

She also noted that the doctors had managed overnight to stabilize the condition of those seriously injured.

In addition, an emergency services spokesperson told Sputnik that Mi-8 helicopter had delivered four injured to Sochi, using a specialized medical module for evacuation.

According to the Emergencies Ministry, it was decided to transfer 10 of the victims to Moscow for further treatment.

COMPENSATION, PSYCHOLOGICAL HELP

According to Aksyonov, families of those killed will receive a compensation of one million rubles (over $15,000) each from the federal budget, while wounded victims will receive 500,000 rubles ($7,600) each.

"One million rubles [will go] to the families of those killed and 500,000 rubles to the families of the victims. These are funds from the federal budget, the funds should be received on the accounts today," Aksyonov told reporters.

In addition, children in families whose relatives were injured or died in the attack would be sent to children's health camps.

"[International Children's Camp] Artek and other camps offered assistance. We are ready to assign and send all the children in order to reduce the stress of minors in this situation," Aksyonov said.

Russian education Minister Olga Vasilyeva confirmed that the families of those killed and injured during the tragedy were offered to send their children to rest in children's camps of the Crimea, in particular, to Artek and Smena.

Psychologists also work with victims and their families.

"Psychologists work with all patients, parents, because the easier the general condition gets, the more fear and memories of what happened arise. Parents are very worried. Groups of our psychologists continue to work and will accompany families and students," Skvortsova said.

According to the EMERCOM's Disaster Medicine Center, the relatives of those killed and injured in the shooting and explosion have reached out to psychologists for assistance 370 times.

The investigation found that a fourth-year student suspected of a massacre at the Kerch college had legally received a gun license, had collected all the necessary documents and had been examined by a psychiatrist.

"He reached the age of legal majority, passed all medical examinations and the necessary procedures, including the psychiatrist's examination, collected all the necessary documents, and received a gun license - everything was legal and official," a regional emergency services official told Sputnik.

He added that the student had received a gun license about a month ago. Prior to that, Roslyakov's residence was examined to confirm the presence of the necessary gun lock box, and no violations were found.

Roslyakov had purchased 150 cartridges at the Sokol gun shop on October 12, but he did not buy a gun there, an employee of the shop told Sputnik.

The gunman was characterized positively and never aroused suspicion, Aksyonov noted.

"Now the main thing is to understand what drove this inhuman over the edge. We do not understand it yet. He was characterized positively. The college principal said there had never been summoned to the teachers' meeting. He was always on his best behavior, never triggered such situations," Aksyonov said, addressing city residents gathered at the college.

Russian Investigative Committee spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko said that investigators had ordered a posthumous psychiatric evaluation of Roslyakov.

"Forensic, ballistic and other examinations, as well as posthumous psychological and psychiatric examination of Roslyakov have been ordered," Petrenko said.

According to Aksyonov, the attacker acted alone, while the investigators were figuring out whether he had any accomplices.

On Wednesday, the mine clearance was completed in the college premises, there were no more bombs there, a spokesperson for the Federal Security Service (FSB) in Crimea said after the meeting of the operational headquarters.

Earlier, a spokesperson for the operational headquarters told reporters that the second explosive device had been found in Roslyakov's personal belongings. It was defused, he added.

The tragedy in the Kerch college once again raised the problem of security in educational institutions. According to Alpha private security firm, whose employees came to the college after the alarm button was pressed, an elderly woman was the gatekeeper at the college, where the massacre had occurred.

"There was an old woman sitting at the guard post, she was hired by the college, she pressed a button and we went there," the head of Alpha's security department said.

The security firm did not know anything else concerning her fate. According to media reports, she was injured during the shooting and was taken to a hospital.

The firm claims that its employees arrived at the scene five minutes after the alarm button was pressed. Upon arrival, they began to provide medical assistance to the injured and took them to a hospital. The head of Alpha's security department also said that guards did not enter the college building, because at that time the policemen were already there.

Aksyonov announced on Wednesday that armed officers from the Federal National Guard Troops Service would be on duty in teams of two near each school and kindergarten in Kerch. On Thursday, he confirmed that all educational institutions of Kerch were well protected, with armed guards on duty there.

Russian Deputy Education Minister Andrei Nikolaev announced that additional security measures would be adopted at Russia's secondary schools and intermediate vocational training schools in the coming months after the attack.

"In any case, an entire series of measures aimed at increasing the security of students both at schools and intermediate vocational training schools are being actively elaborated ... The government is currently discussing on different platforms various measures to physically protect children and teenagers ... In the coming months, specific decisions concerning the issue will follow," Nikolaev said.

KREMLIN URGES TO ANALYZE WHAT HAPPENED

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday, that emotional appeals to tighten the regulations for arms sales in Russia in the aftermath of the Kerch college attack were understandable, but it was necessary to analyze what happened first, as short-term and impulsive measures were unlikely to prevent such massacres.

"Emotionally, such a reaction is understandable, but of course, it is necessary to carefully analyze and investigate the incident first," Peskov said, asked whether it was necessary to amend the legislation, from tightening the rules of carrying weapons to increasing security in schools.

He noted that it was necessary to establish all the circumstances of the deadly attack before experts suggested certain measures.

"This is a very dangerous tendency, and an in-depth analysis is sure to come, and most importantly, it will be necessary to take effective measures to minimize, if not completely eliminate such risks in the future. Short-term, impulsive actions are understandable, but they are unlikely to help the cause," Peskov added.

The situation needs a serious systematic approach, he concluded.