Truck attack in France leaves 80 dead
Fri Jul 15, 2016 07:25:am World
3.1K By Buchi Obichie
No fewer than 80 people have been killed after a truck slammed into a crowd of people celebrating Bastille Day in the southern French city of Nice.
The truck drove two kilometres (1.3 miles) through the crowd, before the driver was shot dead.
An AFP reporter who witnessed the white truck driving at high speed onto the seaside road said, "We saw people hit and bits of debris flying around. It was absolute chaos."
Hundreds of terrified pedestrians screamed as they fled the area.
Speaking to local television stations, other witnesses described bodies lying on the promenade covered in sheets.
The bloodshed comes eight months after Islamic State jihadist attacks on Paris nightspots left 130 people dead.
France has repeatedly been singled out as a prime target of the group, and has been under a state of emergency ever since, boosting security across the country.
The apparent assault came just hours after France announced that a state of emergency declared after last November's attacks would come to an end later this month.
President Francois Hollande said the decree after the November 13 attacks would not be renewed beyond July 26, because a law bolstering security in France was adopted in May.
Meanwhile, as news of the incident broke, the French rushed back from the southern city of Avignon for crisis talks.
The US President, Barack Obama, was also briefed about the situation.
The incident comes as France was breathing a sigh of relief after successfully hosting the month-long Euro 2016 football championship, which passed off without incident.
Addressing the nation, French President Francois Hollande said several children were among the dead, with 80 victims confirmed so far and a further 20 people gravely wounded. He added that it was 'undeniable' the massacre was a terrorist attack.
But while French officials have referred to the incident as an "attack", no terrorist group has claimed responsibility for it yet.
The truck drove two kilometres (1.3 miles) through the crowd, before the driver was shot dead.
An AFP reporter who witnessed the white truck driving at high speed onto the seaside road said, "We saw people hit and bits of debris flying around. It was absolute chaos."
Hundreds of terrified pedestrians screamed as they fled the area.
Speaking to local television stations, other witnesses described bodies lying on the promenade covered in sheets.
The bloodshed comes eight months after Islamic State jihadist attacks on Paris nightspots left 130 people dead.
France has repeatedly been singled out as a prime target of the group, and has been under a state of emergency ever since, boosting security across the country.
The apparent assault came just hours after France announced that a state of emergency declared after last November's attacks would come to an end later this month.
President Francois Hollande said the decree after the November 13 attacks would not be renewed beyond July 26, because a law bolstering security in France was adopted in May.
Meanwhile, as news of the incident broke, the French rushed back from the southern city of Avignon for crisis talks.
The US President, Barack Obama, was also briefed about the situation.
The incident comes as France was breathing a sigh of relief after successfully hosting the month-long Euro 2016 football championship, which passed off without incident.
Addressing the nation, French President Francois Hollande said several children were among the dead, with 80 victims confirmed so far and a further 20 people gravely wounded. He added that it was 'undeniable' the massacre was a terrorist attack.
But while French officials have referred to the incident as an "attack", no terrorist group has claimed responsibility for it yet.
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