Gunmen Take 41 Hostage in South Russia
Unidentified gunmen took 41 people on a bus hostage in southern Russia today, Russian news agencies reported.
The RIA news agency quoted police as saying that two gunmen seized the commuter bus, which was traveling from the town of Nevinnomyssk to the regional capital of Stavropol at about 7 a.m.
RIA said the men, armed with automatic rifles, made no demands. The Interfax news agency said one hostage had been released and that the bus was headed to the town of Mineralnye Vody, which has a major airport.
The Stavropol region borders the volatile North Caucasus, where Russia is fighting separatists in Chechnya.
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