Tense vigil for Moscow relatives

Many relatives have been attending memorial services at Moscow churches

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VIDEO Russian anger builds over hostage gas deaths (October 28) PLAY VIDEO Officials reveal gas death toll. CNN's Mike Hanna reports. (October 28) PLAY VIDEO How the theatre siege ended -- contains graphic video. (October 26) PLAY VIDEO History of the war between Russia and Chechnya. (October 26) PLAY VIDEO RELATED Special report: Moscow hostage horror  Gallery: Russia mourns -- contains graphic imagery  • Four die as Russian helicopter downed in Chechnya  • Siege gas 'was morphine spray'  • Survivors describe siege terror  • Raid 'novel, but deadly'  • Your Say:  Did Russia get it right? • Interactive: Chechnya: Russia's Forgotten War  QUICKVOTE Should Russia say what kind of gas was used at the Moscow theatre siege? Yes No VIEW RESULTS

MOSCOW, Russia -- Relatives of hundreds of survivors of the hostage crisis at a Moscow theatre are holding a tense vigil at hospitals, still waiting for word on their condition.

The first funerals were held on Tuesday for the 118 hostages who died.

Mourners laid flowers and notes outside the bullet-riddled theatre building, which was held for 58 hours by rebels demanding a Russian withdrawal from Chechnya.

Authorities released gas into the theatre on Saturday after negotiators felt the rebels might set off explosives. Two hostages had already been killed by the rebels.

Moscow's chief doctor said 115 hostages died from health problems stemming from the gas pumped into the building just before the raid.

Officials are still refusing to name the gas used in the storming of the theatre although the Pentagon, quoting the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, said it was an opiate -- a chemical related to morphine.

About 310 people remained hospitalised on Tuesday -- a reduction of approximately 100 from a day earlier -- with about two dozen being treated in the intensive care unit.

The hostage-takers, demanding an end to the war in Chechnya, had threatened to kill everyone inside if their demands were not met.

President Vladimir Putin said Russia was preparing an "appropriate" response for terrorist groups and those who harbour them -- comments that seemed to echo U.S. President Bush in the wake of the terror attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001.

"Russia will make no deals with terrorists and will not give in to any blackmail," Putin said.

He expressed his sorrow over the hostage deaths, saying: "We must remember those by uniting."

Analysts say his tough line on the siege appears to have boosted his already high standing.

"Russian society can now say with certainty that the authorities have shown they truly have authority," the Izvestia daily said.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair said people should understand "when it was clear the terrorists were starting to execute the hostages, the Russian authorities had to act."

"I know how hard it would have been to make the decisions," he said. "There are no easy, risk-free, safe solutions to such a situation, and I hope people understand the enormity of the dilemma facing President Putin as he weighed what to do in trying to end the siege with minimal loss of life."

In the United States, the White House said President Bush felt "very strongly" that blame for the tragic deaths of the hostages "lies with the terrorists" and not the Russian government.

Russian forces suffered a setback in Chechnya on Tuesday, when a Russian helicopter was shot down by rebels.

The Interior Ministry confirmed to CNN that the Mi-8 helicopter was hit, probably with a missile, in a rebel attack. The victims were crew and passengers. (Full story)

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