’73 dead’ after truck crashes into crowd at Bastille Day celebrations in Nice ‘terror attack’
The local police prefect has confirmed that least 84 people were dead and over 100 were injured in the crash, Reuters reported, citing BFM TV.
Sebastien Humbert, the perfect for the Alpes-Maritime area, detailed the circumstances of the crash, explaining the high number of casualties to BFM.
“A truck rammed into the crowd over a long distance, which explains this extremely heavy toll,” he said.
BFM also said that authorities have classified the the incident as an “attack.”
“There are people in blood, probably full of wounded,” a reporter for the Nice Matin newspaper said.
According to an eyewitness report cited by BFM, the driver of the truck shouted, “Allahu Akbar!”before the attack.
Witnesses reported that the truck that drove into the crowd was watching the fireworks celebration of Bastille Day. Photos emerged on social media showing injured people lying on the ground en masse.
President of the Provence Alpes Cote d’Azur region Christian Estrosi said on Twitter that “dozens”of people were been killed in the incident.
Local media has dubbed the incident an act of terror, reporting at least 84 fatalities. No official confirmation has been released so far.
Police have cordoned off Promenade des Anglais completely following the attack. Nobody is able to leave the area at the moment, Alain Marchall, the BFM correspondent at the site, reported.
“The promenade is closed, locked, as I am speaking. It is impossible to [gain] access. The police and private security have cordoned it off. We cannot move forward or go along Promenade des Anglais,”he said.
“I see residents who wonder how they can access their apartments, which is impossible at the moment.”
France`s president, Francois Holland, is convening an emergency meeting at an Interior Ministry crisis center, Reuters reported.
WARNING: GRAPHIC PHOTOS
