A struggle to heal as school siege haunts Beslan

AT FIRST, Beslan’s grief seemed to surface in its children.

They were afraid to be left alone. Others cried while they slept. Some went mute. One little boy began to meow incessantly.

Their trauma began six months ago, on the morning of September 1, on what should have been the first day of a new school year. Instead, a gang of extremists swept School No 1 and took 1,200 students, parents and teachers hostage, demanding Russian troops pull out of neighbouring Chechnya.