Toll in Russia Climbs to 41 in Bombing at a Hospital

Vera Khalitskaya’s daughter-in-law, Yelena, lay buried today somewhere in the shattered wreckage of a military hospital here, along with perhaps 17 other people still missing, victims of the latest of the suicide bombings that have struck Russia over the spring and summer. Her son, Vladimir, kept a vigil outside, fearing the worst, as cranes and backhoes clawed through the ruins of the hospital and soldiers formed bucket brigades atop a two-story heap of rubble. He said he was overwrought, in no position to speak. “Everything collapsed in one moment,” said Mrs. Khalitskaya, who was watching Vladimir’s and Yelena’s 30-month-old son, Danil, at her home. “Our whole family.” On Friday, a suicide bomber drove a truck through a metal gate, swept past a heavily guarded checkpoint and detonated a bomb at the base of the hospital. Today, the toll of confirmed dead rose steadily, reaching 41 by tonight. At least 77 others were wounded, some of them gravely. Full Story