A truck drove into a crowd at Bastille Day ceremonies late Thursday in Nice, France, killing dozens of people, Regional President Christian Estrosi tweeted. French President Francois Hollande has called it an act of terror.
What we know so far
A large truck has ploughed into crowds celebrating Bastille Day in the southern French city of Nice.
The crash, which left 80 people dead including several children and 18 seriously injured, is being treated as a terrorist attack.
The driver of the truck was shot dead by police. They are trying to determine if he had accomplices.
Authorities said the man had been firing on the crowd as he drove, and that the truck was loaded with weapons and grenades.
Witnesses said the driver was “zigzagging” so he could hit as many people as possible. It was reported that he drove into the crowd for 2km at a speed of about 50km/h.
Unconfirmed reports in French media said an ID card belonging to a 31-year-old resident of Nice who had dual French-Tunisian nationality had been found in the truck.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
François Hollande, the French president, described the attack as a “monstrosity” and said soldiers would be deployed to support gendarmes and police, particularly at the country’s borders. He said the attack was “terrorist in nature” and vowed France would always be stronger than the fanatics that want to attack her.
The country’s state of emergency, which was due to expire on 26 July, is to be extended for three months.
The interior minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, said: “We are at war with terrorists who want to strike us at any cost and who are extremely violent.”
Hollande is on his way to Paris from Avignon to chair an emergency security and defence meeting at 9am on Friday. He will then head to Nice. Cazeneuve is in Nice.
World leaders, including Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, have condemned the attack. Donald Trump has postponed the announcement of his running mate.
