According to city officials, at least 73 people are dead in Nice, France, after a driver plowed a truck through a crowd during a Bastille Day parade, iTele reports. Authorities have characterized the incident as “an attack” and are urging people to stay indoors.
Fox News reports that a witness saw a gunman fire into the crowd before being shot by police. Images from the scene show a truck with what appear to bullet holes in the window.
While officials have not called the attack an act of terror, French media has characterized it as such and it is estimated that at least 60 people are now dead.
Shortly after the deaths in Nice were reported, witnesses observed clouds of black smoke near the Eiffel Tower. However, early reports attribute the smoke to a fireworks malfunction and there is not any evidence to suggest the the two incidents are connected.
UPDATE 7:11 P.M.: According to France’s Ministry of the Interior, the driver has been “neutralized” and investigators are determining whether he acted alone.
UPDATE 7:20 P.M.: Nice prosecutors now say at least 73 people are dead, iTele reports.
UPDATE 8:20 P.M.: Speaking to BLM-TV, regional council president Christian Estrosi said that the attacker fired shots into the crowd and police later found the truck to be “loaded with weapons,” including firearms and grenades.
This post will be updated as more information becomes available.
source: gizmodo.com by Hudson Hongo
