Sixteen people who were taken hostage by Chechen rebels in a Moscow theater this fall or whose relatives were killed in the siege intend to sue the city government, joining eight others who have already filed suit for moral and material damages, their lawyer said Monday. Igor Trunov said that his clients, whose cases were to befiled in a Moscow court on Monday,

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CRISIS $450,000 to $1.5 million each. The eight who have already filed suit five former hostages and three 2-elatives have asked for a total of $7.5 million. Their suit is scheduled to be heard on Dec. 24.

He said that 20 more victims had contacted his office to register lawsuits, Russian news agencies reported.

The Oct. 23-26 theater siege by Chechen rebels ended with scores dead after Russian special forces stormed the building, killing the 41 hostage-takers. At least 129 of the hostages also died from the effects of a narcotic gas used to knock out the militants.

Trunov has said he is basing his case on Russia’s new anti-terrorism law, which he says stipulates that the Russian region where a terrorist attack occurs should pay moral and material damages to the victims.

City officials have sharply criticized the lawsuit, saying the federal government not Moscow is responsible for the Chechen conflict and its consequences.

Days after the crisis ended, government officials promised the equivalent of $3,150 to the families of hostages who were killed and half that amount to those who survived the ordeal.

However, some survivors have complained that they cannot afford long-term treatment for physical and psychological problems they have encountered since being discharged from hospitals. “We still do not know what gas was used and what effects it can have on our health,” former hostage Alexander Shalnov was quoted as saying by Interfax.