Standoff Continues In Russian Village

Chechen rebels holding more than 100 exhausted hostages in this bleak village demanded safe passage home, a Russian commander called for the rebels to be annihilated - and what they all got Thursday was a grueling day of waiting.

The third day of the hostage drama was a standoff on the steppes near the Chechen border. The fields around Pervomayskaya were streaked with gray lines of Russian armor, poised to storm the town. Military helicopters bristling with rockets circled low.

At least 40 people have died since Tuesday, when rebels stormed the city of Kizlyar, seizing a hospital and taking as many as 3,000 people hostage. They demanded that Russian troops pull out of Chechnya.