Lorry hits crowd leaving 84 people dead in Nice France

A number of injured people were taken to local hospitals (Image: AFP)

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In Summary A lorry has ploughed through a crowd during Bastille Day celebrations in the southern French city of Nice At least 84 people are dead, including 10 children 202 were injured, 52 remain in critical condition, 25 are in intensive care

The driver of the lorry was shot dead by police He has been identified as Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, known to police for violence and petty theft Full story on Nice attack below

French prosecutor updates victim numbers

France prosecutor Francois Molins has spoken to the press. He said: "We deplore the death of 84 people.

"202 were injured including 52 who are now in critical care - with 25 of those in intensive care.

"I would also like to pay tribute to all state services who were mobilised following this attack."

What the attacker did

French prosecutor Francois Molins has also confirmed other details:

• He said the lorry was rented on 11 July, and was due back on the 13th
• Inside the cabin, there were automatic fire weapons, two Kalashnikov rifles, bullets and a grenade. Earlier reports had suggested the weapons were fakes
• A mobile phone, a driver's licence and bank details were also found
• The lorry was a 19-tonne vehicle

BREAKING  French prosecutor confirms identity of attacker

Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel has been confirmed as the driver of the lorry involved in the Nice attack by the french prosecutor Francois Molins.

Tributes from around the world continue to pour in

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko lays flowers
outside the French embassy in Kiev (Image: AFP)

Flowers and candles have been left outside the French embassy in London

People observe a minute of silence in front of the French Embassy in Berlin

More information on the attacker

Local reports have named the attacker as 31-year-old Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel.

Mohamed Bouhlal belongs to a family who resides in Msakin near the city of Sousse, a Tunisian security source told BBC Arabic, on condition of anonymity.

Bouhlal’s parents are divorced and they live in France.

Mohamed used to frequently visit Tunisia, the source added, saying the last time was eight months ago, before he went back to France.

The 31-year-old, said to have been married with three children, was not known by the Tunisian authorities to have been involved in any terrorism activities on Tunisian soil. 

However, he was known by to the authorities in connection with drugs and alcohol-related offences.

Earlier, the Tunisian government issued a statement condemning the attack "in the strongest possible terms". 

"Tunisia stands by France in its fight against terrorism and supports any measure taken by the French government to protect its territory and the security of its citizens and visitors," the statement said.

Update on the injured after Thursday's attack

Another update on the injured. 

French health officials say 188 patients were taken to hospitals in the Alpes-Maritimes area after the attack. 

Of these, 48 are in a state of "absolute urgency", and 25 are in resuscitation.

• A lorry has ploughed through a crowd during Bastille Day celebrations in the southern French city of Nice
• At least 84 people are dead, including many children
• About 50 are "between life and death", says President Francois Hollande
• The driver of the lorry was shot dead by police
• French media reports say he has been identified as Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, who lived locally
• French President Francois Hollande said the country was "under the threat of Islamic terrorism"

Turkey shows solidarity with France

Turkey is flying its flags at half-mast today in a show of solidarity with France after the Nice attack, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim has announced, according to Turkish newspaper Hurriyet.

"We share the pain of the French nation due to this terror incident. As the Turkish nation, I once again express that we will be in cooperation with the French government in the fight against terror and we are ready to provide any help and support," Mr Yildirim said.

Turkey is no stranger to terrorist attacks, the most recent being the Istanbul airport attack last month that killed 45 people.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault are among those seen here observing a moment of silence for the victims, at the beginning of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit in Ulan Bator, Mongolia.

A truck drove into a crowd at Bastille Day ceremonies late Thursday in Nice, France, killing a least 80 people, Regional President Christian Estrosi tweeted.

Here's what we know:

• The attack happened on Bastille Day, a major holiday in France. Victims had been watching fireworks on the beach and were walking down a promenade, either back home or to their cars.
• One witness said the truck driver appeared to accelerate toward his victims
• Counter-terrorist investigators were leading the probe, into the attack, local media said, and a local government official said weapons and grenades were found inside the truck.
• Police shot and killed the driver, who drove the 25-tonne, unmarked, truck for well over 100 meters along the famed Promenade des Anglais seafront, slamming into a mass of spectators late in the evening, regional government official Sebastien Humbert told France Info radio.
• The man had opened fire on the crowd, local government chief Christian Estrosi told local media, also citing the discovery of weapons and grenades after the driver was killed.
• The driver was killed by French police, authorities said

More on this story below:

A lorry has struck a crowd after Bastille Day celebrations in the southern French city of Nice, killing at least 70 people, officials are quoted as saying by local media.

It happened on the famous Promenade des Anglais after a firework display. The driver was "neutralised", and guns and grenades were found inside the lorry.

One image on Twitter showed about a dozen people lying on the street.

Officials said it was "an attack", asking local residents to stay indoors.

Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi said that "a lorry driver appears to have killed dozens of people".

Prosecutor Jean-Michel Pretre said the lorry drove two kilometres (1.2 miles) through a large crowd, the AFP news agency reports.

Interior Ministry spokesman Pierre-Henry Brandet denied earlier reports of hostage situations and said the driver of the lorry had been "neutralised".

He added that officials were investigating whether the driver acted alone.

French President Francois Hollande was returning back to Paris for crisis talks in the capital, his office said. Mr Hollande was in the southern city of Avignon on a private visit.

Police are now carrying out checks on vehicles in Nice (Image: AFP)

Some reports spoke of shots being exchanged between police and the occupants of the lorry but these have not been confirmed.

Social media video showed people running through the streets in panic following the incident.

A journalist with the Nice Matin newspaper reported from the scene that there was "a lot of blood and without doubt many injured".

An AFP reporter said the incident took place as the firework display was ending, adding: "We saw people hit and bits of debris flying around."

Police have now sealed off the area, checking the lorry that hit the crowds (Image: AFP)

Social media video showed people fleeing after the incident (Image: AFP)

Another image on Twitter showed a white lorry stopped in the middle of the promenade with damage to its front, and four police officers observing it while taking cover behind a palm tree.

One eyewitness told BFM TV: "Everyone was calling run, run, run there's an attack run, run, run. We heard some shots. We thought they were fireworks because it's the 14th of July.

"There was great panic. We were running too because we didn't want to stick around and we went into a hotel to get to safety. "

Another witness, Roy Calley told the BBC that there were "thousands of people on the promenade" when the incident happened.

US President Barack Obama had been briefed about the situation in Nice "and his national security team will update him, as appropriate", National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said.