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announcer: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. announcer: and now, "bbc news" s america." s we start with breaking news. an account of an attack in moscow. these are pictures of the scene at the moment. according to russian authorities, at least 40 people have been reportedly killed, more than 100 wounded, including children. panic concertgoers are seen taking cover as shots ring out. a russian news agency saying people dressed in camouflage open fire inside the venue.

special forces were sent. that is how many tickets were sold for the event. it is unclear exactly how many people were in the venue at the time of the assault. moscow's mayor says a huge tragedy has occurred. the white house said it is working to learn more information. president biden being informed. he said there is no indication ukraine is involved. the u.s. embassy in moscow has released a statement saying it is shocked by the attack and expressing sincere condolences to the russian people and advising u.s. citizens to avoid the area where the mass shooting took place. we have the latest analysis on the story. >> this is very much a developing story. what we know so far is before the start of a concert in crocus city hall, gunmen burst in and

started shooting. there are unconfirmed reports that 40 people have been killed with many more injured. people have been filming events on their phones and posting on social media. let me show you what we have been looking at. this video begins as people start leaving the hall and something appears to have gone wrong. you suddenly hear gunshots and people running. it is difficult to know how many people are involved. in the video you can see many people in the hall. screams begin to ring out and people can be seen shouting, "close the door!" people begin falling on the floor and hiding behind chairs. gunshots continued to be heard. there are scenes of panic and people trying to escape. here is another video we verified. this is from outside the hall. it is a significant part of the video on fire with plumes of smoke rising. we see another video from a

different angle again showing from the outside of the building, again on fire. witnesses have said the shooting started in the foyer. we have seen another video with four gunmen which is too graphic to show you. you can see people shooting with several casualties on the floor. it is worth noting a few weeks ago the u.s. embassy in moscow issued a warning for people to avoid crowded places in the capital city. . we have seen reports of another explosion inside the hall and some of the gunmen have barricaded themselves inside. it is a developing news story and we will continue to verify more footage as we get it. sumi: we have never heard from russian authorities that 40 people have been killed and more than 100 wounded. our correspondent is with us. he spent many years reporting in russia. what are you hearing and seeing from your contacts on the ground? will: the key thing is where

these gunmen are. dead, captured, alive? the russia national guard posted a map saying the search for these criminals continues. that suggests until an hour ago, one or many of those attackers were still at large. the building is now on fire. helicopters have been dropping water on the blaze. it is not clear what started the fire. almost the entire top half of the building is gone. one eyewitness that spoke to russian media said he saw the attackers roaming molotov cocktails, so it is possible that could have caused the blaze. the kremlin said president putin has been informed and he has given necessary orders to bring the situation under control. sumi: so much eyewitness testimony we are waiting to confirm. what can you tell us about

crocus city hall, where this took place? will: it is part of an enormous site just outside of moscow. there are several shopping centers, sports facilities, a big expedition hall. it is a well-known venue. i have been there many times myself when i lived in moscow. if you are looking for a venue where there is a lot of people, this would be a great choice. friday night, a concert, a band, a lot of people around. this site is not in the center of moscow. the security would be less perhaps than in the center of the city. quite an understandable choice for these gunmen. sumi: looking at these pictures, remarkable to see how many emergency vehicles or on the scene. the size of the response we have witnessed so far. what did you make of this u.s.

embassy warning touched on during the report that came 15 days ago? will: it is interesting. a security alert released by the u.s. embassy in moscow that said they were monitoring reports that extremists had imminent plans to target large gatherings in moscow to include concerts. that was 15 years ago. just three days ago, vladimir putin commented on the morning, saying that warning was intimidation by the west in an to strike terror into russian society. we do not know if there is a direct link to the security alert and that issued by the u.k. and others. whether there is any link between that and what happened today. earlier, the white house national security spokesperson did mention the warning by the u.s. embassy when he was asked. sumi: we cannot draw any conclusions like you said at this point, as we look at some

pictures coming in. such a dramatic scene. 40 people confirmed killed by russian security services, more than 100 wounded. ukraine's presidential advisor has been speaking about this, as well. will: the ukrainians have denied any involvement in this incident, as have a number of pro-ukrainian groups. there are groups of russians who fight on the side of ukraine. we have seen some conduct operations in russia. they said this has nothing to do with us. in terms of any link to the war in ukraine, we do not know if it is related. but it is true russia is a less-safe place now compared to just over two years ago before the war started. thousands of russian convicts have been released from prison, some of them murderers, handed

weapons and sent off to the front line. hundreds of thousands of russian men have been mobilized and sent to the front. people who should be serving in the police and security services at home in russia have been sent to ukraine. there is not any confirmed link at the moment but russians in general feel a lot less safe now compared to two years ago. sumi: we really do not know who the perpetrators are but what we are hearing is there were three camouflaged gunmen. will: we do not know how many gunmen exactly. one russian news agency says up to five. what we have seen from the videos is there are at least three. we have to wait and see. it appears some of these gunmen may still be at large. it is a fluid situation. sumi: can you tell us a bit about what has been messaged on telegram? such an important method of communication for russians.

we have seen video of those in the hall that have been shared. will: eyewitnesses have been sharing their accounts of what happened on telegram. . one man said he was standing on the balcony just above where this happened and he looked over and saw it all happen. he saw a number of men in camouflage shooting people in the hall, throwing molotov cocktails. another eyewitness said she was actually attending a ballroom dancing competition at the site when this happened. there were a lot of children when people started running, screaming and shouting that there was shooting going on. that led to a panic. children were fleeing from the scene in their ballroom gowns. disturbing accounts of what happened. 40 dead, according to preliminary information from security services. from what i have seen from the

videos, a number of bodies being carried out from the building. it is still ablaze. part of the upper section of the building has collapsed. we will have to see if the death toll will rise, that 40 dead was preliminary. sumi: absolutely terrifying. we do have a sound but we can play from an eyewitness. let's listen to that. >> we just ended up in a firefight in crocus. we were waiting for a concert by the band picnic. some people in brown clothing, i do not know who they were, terrorists, military, broken and started shooting at people with assault rifles. everyone started running away. it was terrible. simply panic. everyone is laying on the ground , people are pushing each other. right now behind me, crocus is on fire. they started on fire. we just literally somehow got

out of this a few minutes ago without our coats, we all just ran out. not everyone managed to run out because everyone was running into different parts of crocus. we do not know where the police are. the riot police are just starting to arrive. assault rifles are being used. there is no one to help people. everyone tried to save themselves as best i could. many remain in crocus. sumi: will, that speaks to the sheer chaos and terror. we heard the eyewitness talking about the police response. you were talking about where this hall is and what type of security might have been in place but we do not know much about the security on hand. will: no, we don't. typically at a venue like this in moscow, there will be unarmed security guards, metal detectors at the entrance. we do not know whether they were working, if security made any a

-- attempt to stop these men. these venues are not heavily guarded in russia. these kind of things are very rare in the russian capital. watching that clip from the eyewitness who said he managed to get out, one of the lucky ones, because many people were not able to get out very easily. we heard reports from eyewitnesses on telegram, many of them said when they ran two exits, they found them to be blocked, loft, shut in some way. one man said after finding an exit blocked, he ran into the basement with many other people and they hid in the basement until rescuers reach them. there will be questions after this, certainly about security, but also about fire safety. sumi: we are waiting to hear more information about what or who might have been behind this

attack. russia has been the target of attacks in the past. will: russia has a history of terrorist attacks. there have been a number in recent years linked to isis. there was an attack on st. petersburg metro in 2017 that was linked to isis or islamist militants. 15 people died in that. there had been a number of attacks in the last few years, not mass casualty attacks but terrorist attacks the authorities have linked to islamic militants. sumi: we should say very clearly at this point, no way to tell what type of attack this is. we only know what russian security services have told us. there has been an attack, at least 40 people have been killed and hundreds wounded. will, thank you so much for sharing your reporting with us tonight. we are following all of the latest developments from russia on our website. you can head to bbc.com/news.

you can find all the updates from our correspondents on the ground and analysis from our correspondents in the region. bbc.com/news. now to another major story we are following. catherine princess of wales has announced she is undergoing preventative treatment for cancer. it comes after she stepped back from public life to recover after undergoing abdominal surgery. she said although it was thought at the time that her situation was noncancerous but tests found cancer is present and she is in the early stages of preventative chemotherapy. here is the personal message filmed at windsor earlier this week. >> i wanted to take the opportunity to say thank you personally for the messages of

support while of -- i have been recovering from surgery. it has been a tough couple of months that i have a fantastic medical team that has taken care of me. in january i underwent major abdominal surgery in london. at the time it was thought my condition was noncancerous. the surgery was successful. however, tests after the operation found cancer had been present. my medical team sent us should undergo preventative chemotherapy and i am now in the early stages of that treatment. this of course came as a huge shock. we have been doing everything we can to manage this privately for the sake of our young family. as you can imagine, this has taken time. it has taken me time to recover from major surgery in order to start my treatment. most importantly, it has taken us time to explain everything to

our children in a way that is appropriate for them and reassure them that i will be ok. as i have said to them, i am well, and getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that will help me heal in my mind, body and spirit. having william by my side is a great reassurance and comfort. as is the love, support and kindness being shared by so many of you. it means so much. we hope you will understand that as a family, we now need some time, space and privacy while i complete my treatment. my work has always brought me a deep sense of joy and i look forward to being back. but for now, i must focus on making a full recovery. at this time, i am also thinking of all those whose lives have been affected by cancer. for everyone facing this disease in whatever form, please do not

lose faith or hope. you are not alone. sumi: that message from catherine princess of wales. let's go to a report from our royal correspondent. >> this was the last official footage of the princess of wales with the royal family on christmas day. with her three children who she is keen to protect after going public with news of her diagnosis. back in december, all seemed well as she spoke to the crowd. >> thank you so much. that is very sweet of you. have a very happy christmas. >> three weeks later, she was admitted to hospital for major of domino surgery. it was in her postoperative tests that signs of cancer were found. this footage published earlier this week, filmed by a member of the public showed her shopping in windsor with her husband. this photo released on mother's

day to ease some public speculation did the opposite, with the princess issuing a statement saying she had made some edits to the image. a turning point appears to have been this thanksgiving service in windsor at the end of february. the rest of the royal family was there. but the prince of wales pulled up that morning suddenly due to a personal matter. we now know this was around the time the princess was diagnosed and began her treatment. it has been an incredibly turbulent time for the family but the couple's priority has been to protect their children and ensure they have time to explain what is going to prince george, princess charlotte and prince louis. they hope the speculation and rumors will stop as they spent time privately as a family for the easter holiday. the princess will not be back to a full program of public duty for some time. we may see her occasionally but only when her medical team have approved.

for now the princess of wales wants time, space and privacy to deal with her diagnosis and recovery. bbc news. sumi: let's go right now to our news correspondent who is standing by for us in windsor tonight. thank you very much for joining us. tell us what you thought of that very personal message we heard from catherine princess of wales today. >> yes, an incredibly personal video message that you played out from the princess of wales, recorded in windsor earlier this week, where she talked about her cancer diagnosis. she spoke about the treatment she has started in the early stages of that preventative chemotherapy that she is in the middle of at the moment and undergoing the treatment. also, talking about the impact on her immediate family, on the couple's three young children --

george, charlotte and louis, who are very young. and how catherine and prince william have had to explain in terms of and words that they are able to understand and give them time, the children, to be able to process the news. they have known for a little bit of time before the news was made public earlier this evening and the couple felt now it is the start of the easter holiday for their three children, this was the right time for catherine's cancer diagnosis to be put in the public domain. very difficult time for the princess of wales, for anyone who is receiving or has received a cancer diagnosis will know that. also very clearly from her personal statement about the impact it is having on her young children and the need for privacy. the family lives here in windsor, about a half-mile from windsor castle, in the grounds

of windsor castle. they are nestled away in a private location. what they want to do going forward is for catherine to be able to continue with the treatment, the chemotherapy that she is going through at the moment. but also for them as a family to be able to deal with this privately because, clearly, it has been a huge shock for all of them. sumi: just quickly, i imagine there has been an outpouring of support not just in windsor but across the country, as well. >> yes, exactly. people here in windsor, obviously picking up on the news that we got from kensington palace in the last half-hour. shock is the one word to describe how people are feeling. we have also had a statement from buckingham palace, which says the king is so proud of catherine for her courage and speaking as she did, and remains in the closest contact with his

beloved daughter-in-law. in the last half-hour or so, a statement from prince harry and meghan markle, the statement says the do gender six at sussex -- the duke and duchess of sussex's says they hope they can be in peace. sumi: we can speak now to the director of the george washington university cancer center. thank you so much for joining us. what did you take away from what we heard from the princess of wales about her diagnosis and treatment? julie: the first thing i took away from that incredibly courageous personal message was precisely that -- her courage in revealing the vulnerability she had, particularly around her young children. cancer does not happen in isolation. it happens to a person and a family. the journey is a really arduous one for all of them.

from a medical perspective, i have taken away from her information that, first, she had a major abdominal surgery, as the initiation of her cancer treatment. second of all, she is going through what she described as preventive chemotherapy and the medical term for that is adjuvant therapy. my patients asked me after going through surgery, why do i need chemotherapy now if the surgeon got it all? people think of cancer as a ball or tumor and once it has been removed the cancer has been addressed. the reality is, depending on the stage or the type of cancer, cancer can have travelers. there can be small cells that have broken off or traveled like a root system into adjacent tissues and there can be travelers that have traveled

through the bloodstream to another organ. when we have a patient who has just had a major surgery to treat their cancer, we make a decision about chemotherapy in the context of stage -- stage 1, 2, 3 or 4. what i learned from that is she is getting preventive chemotherapy with the goal of cure. sumi: she certainly sent that message to others -- do not lose hope. julie: exactly. to go through a major surgery and then to be facing cytotoxic chemotherapy -- chemotherapy is a medicine that kills cells that are growing fast and abnormally. there are also innocent bystander cells that are affected so she will be more vulnerable to infection because her immune system is affected. she might lose her hair -- it depends on the type of chemotherapy. there are side effects that are

visible and side effects that are invisible. sumi: so difficult. thank you for joining us and giving us your insight. a very courageous message from catherine, the princess of wales. julie: thank you. sumi: announcer: funding for presentation of this program is provided by... financial services firm, raymond james. bdo. accountants and advisors. cunard is a proud supporter of public television. announcer: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ >> good evening. >> i'm jeff bennett. on the news hour, congress works to avoid possible government shutdown but will it cost to the house speaker in his gavel? >> kate middleton announces