In 2004 , Chechen rebels took 1,200 people hostage at a school in Beslan , Russia . The hostages were released after the Russian government agreed to pay ransom for their release. First there was the blast , and then as sight as surreal as it was ghastly . CNN 's Nick Paton Walsh covered the hostage crisis for The Guardian newspaper . Ten years on , he returns and finds victims of the siege still have unanswered questions .
In 2004 , Chechen rebels took 1,200 people hostage at a school in Beslan , Russia . The hostages were released after the Russian government agreed to pay ransom for their release. CNN 's Nick Paton Walsh covered the hostage crisis for The Guardian newspaper . Ten years on , he returns and finds victims of the siege still have unanswered questions .