MOSCOW, Sept 3 (AFP) - A bomb taped to a ceiling inside a school seized by guerrillas on the edge of Chechnya accidentally fell, setting off an explosion and prompting Russian troops to storm the building, a girl inside told Russian television.
"There was a bomb taped to the ceiling. The tape peeled off, the bomb fell and exploded," said the unidentified witness who appeared to be in her early teens.
Earlier, Russian officials said that crack troops stationed around the building for three days had had no immediate plans to storm the building.
The gun battle that subsequently erupted killed more than 100 people and wounded some 450 others, according to preliminary reports.