Still seeking answers to a tragedy that left hundreds of their loved ones dead, residents of Beslan on Wednesday had no doubt it was right to show a video of their children and friends held hostage in the gym of the town's School No 1.

"I think that it was right to show the images to people, the entire world has a right to see them," said Rima Somartova, 57, held hostage with her two grandchildren, who both survived

She was speaking amid the burned out debris of Beslan school, where 1,200 were held hostage by armed militants. Dozens of bottles of water have been placed in the courtyard of the school, in memory of how the hostages were not allowed to drink.

The remaining doors of the school were still covered with the blood shed in the unplanned raid by security forces that ended the siege but left hundreds dead amid horrific scenes of carnage.

Shoes and watches still sit on the

floor, now layered with dust. Locals have placed candles and icons in the interior, making it resemble the altar of a church.

But there is now little that remains from the school gymnasium shown in the video, which according its broadcaster NTV television was recorded by the militants in the first hours of the hostage taking on September 1.

The footage showed the hostages, sitting down, some with their hands behind their heads, surrounded by masked militants.

The hostages were sitting in apparent silence, rigid with fear but with no sign of panic. Some did not look up. A streak of blood was visible in the centre of the gym.

The video showed one masked man placing his foot over a book on the ground that possibly contained explosive material. He theatrically pointed towards the object with his index finger.

"These (militants) are just animals, and so many children died. But people have to know everything," said Olga Beovayeva, 60.