1 pm news - live explosions and gunfire. Looks like it's something everyone's used to by now. CNN International is covering it better, with a videophone - but very few people have access to CNN here. One of the Russian two main state channels has a Soviet comedy on, the other has some pre-recorded interviews in Beslan. These two channels broadcast all over Russia. The third channel, NTV, relatively private, doesn't reach many of the regions, and they, just like CNN, caught the explosions live, though then they had some technical problems.

1:20 pm - allegedly, there are more explosions there. CNN is covering it live - on the Russian NTV, they have sports news. Unfuckingbelievable.

"This is not good, Jonathan," says the CNN reporter (Ryan Chilcote) to the guy in the studio.

More gunfire, helicopters, a wounded man.

"It appears as if the school is now being stormed..."

"An absolute horror."

The sound of gunfire, explosions and helicopters.

Okay, NTV is live now, too, thank God. But the state channels that EVERYONE can watch have some bullshit on.

An ambulance is driving away.

No one seems to know what's going on. Doesn't look like panic, though.

A Bavaria beer commercial on NTV... (Oh dear CNN please don't go off the air...)

A badly wounded man.

"Security forces are clearly not here - they've moved further in the vicinity of the school."

"We don't know where the wounded people are coming from - from inside the school or from around the school."

A report that the school roof has collapsed.

Many many kids, wearing just panties, drinking water - the soldiers are helping them. More gunfire....

1:40 pm - NTV is back on the air, CNN is taking a break to figure out what's going on - the school roof has collapsed partially when the terrorists blew up the explosives - when they were giving the bodies of the dead...

Some hostages have escaped. Some terrorists escaped with them - soldiers opened fire on them.