A lorry has ploughed into crowds celebrating Bastille Day by the beach in Nice; there are reports of at least 80 people killed. I am currently in the city, having watched the fireworks in the crowd on La Promenade des Anglais near the sea, where the attack took place. I was just walking home when the screaming began, and people started running from the main square. The streets were full of people running in panic and sirens ringing: no one, at present, knows what happened. At first there were reports of a dozen dead; now it’s several dozen. One of the papers here, Nice Matin, has published a photograph of a HGV saying it was ‘riddled with bullets’. That squares with some of the reports on French TV. One interviewee on iTele said the lorry attack happened at about 10.30pm but was followed by gunfire, ending in a police shootout. It’s also said that the lorry drove for 2km into the crowd before being forced to stop by the driver being shot dead by police. Needless to say, all reports are unconfirmed right now. We have all been told to stay indoors, until the authorities can work out what’s going on here. A Parisian couple and their child are staying with me: we’re watching the news and waiting until things are clearer.
People running away from scene in #Nice (#France) after vehicle hit crowd, unclear if terrorist attack https://t.co/XRQ8zrZG2J
— Roeland Roovers (@r0eland) July 14, 2016
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