Families of the 330 people killed at a school in southern Russia are beginning to bury their dead.
Many of the victims of last week's battle between Russian commando forces and a gang of armed militants were children. Hundreds of wounded are still hospitalized -- both in the city of Beslan in North Ossetia and at hospitals as far away as Moscow.
(Russian news reports say the first funerals in Beslan today will be private family observances. As of now, no group services are to be held.)
President Vladimir Putin, who visited Beslan Saturday, said the hostage crisis at the school was part of an all-out war against Russia by international terrorists.
Mr. Putin says Russia must respond by establishing a more efficient security system capable of dealing with larger and more complex threats.
Despite the enormous list of casualties of last week's siege at the school, scores of families say they are still trying to find out whether their loved ones are dead or alive.