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Nice attack: truck driver named as France mourns 84 killed in Bastille Day atrocity – live Nice attack: truck driver named as France mourns 84 killed in Bastille Day atrocity – live
(35 minutes later)
3.34pm BST
15:34
Le Monde has a useful summary of what it knows about the dead suspect Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel.
It says he had recently been arrested for a fight after a traffic dispute and that he was armed with a pistol.
It points out that although his action suggest he was terrorist, police have urged caution. It points out that in December 2014, a motorist injured several people shouting “Allah Akbar”, in what was thought was initially thought to be a terrorist attack. It later emerged that he had a long history of psychiatric treatment and the prosecution concluded it was not a terrorist attack.
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Rachel Obordo
More people who were near the seafront in Nice have been getting in touch with their accounts of last night’s events.
Sajda was with her husband Tosif and her cousin Anas, and described the mood as jovial and upbeat. “There were people hanging out at the beach lighting up their own fireworks, vendors were selling crepes with Nutella, music was playing, and everyone was just having a good time,” she said.
“After being there for a little over 10 minutes, we heard what sounded like fireworks going off and then heard screaming. All of a sudden, there were hundreds of panic-stricken people running our way and it was clear that if we did not move, we would get trampled. So we started running as fast as we could while having no idea what was going on.
“I remember nearly falling while trying to head down the stairs to the beach so I just grabbed onto a random person and let him help me down. As we ran down the beach, people were yelling out “qu’est-ce qui s’est passé?” (what happened?) and others running with us responded with “There is a man with a gun” or “The police told us to run.” We still had no idea what was happening but just ran for our lives. I became absolutely terrified for my life.
“Although we were only a 15 minute walk away from where we live, we decided to take a circular route away from the busy streets so it took us over an hour to get home. It was frightening to learn how close we were to losing our lives. If we had decided to head east when we arrived to the promenade instead of west, I might not be here today.”
Gary and his girlfriend travelled to Nice especially for Bastille Day. “We were sat on the beach after the fireworks had finished, so whilst we didn’t physically see it, we were about 50 metres away from it,” he said. “We’ve never seen panic like it – the videos do not show the huge number of people running across the beach. People were confused and as soon as gunshots were heard everyone ran.
“We ran down the beach and went up on to the promenade. As soon as one person started running hundreds followed, even if it was nothing. It wasn’t just the initial panic, but the panic afterwards when we were making our way home that was terrifying – it felt like there was nowhere safe and we were surrounded.
“It needs to be stressed that this day was for families – we sat next to a large family with about seven or eight children. They left literally two minutes before the problems started – I pray to god that they’re safe.”
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15:19
The French golfer Clément Sordet wore a cap with “Pray For Nice” handwritten on the brim during the Open at Royal Troon.
He said: “It really is a sad event and my thoughts are with the families who have lost loved ones. I woke up around 4am and saw I had received lots of texts. People were asking if we were safe and, of course, we were here. I checked with people I knew to make sure they were safe and sound. I tried not to think about it, I tried to stay focused on my game and enjoy my last day at the Open.”
Related: Clément Sordet wears ‘Pray For Nice’ cap at the Open in tribute to victims
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15:14
188 injured, 48 in intensive care
French officials have revealed that 188 people injured in the Bastille Day attack are being treated in hospital, including 48 in intensive care. Earlier, President François Hollande said 50 are “between life and death”.
#Nice 188 patients pris en charge dans les établissements de santé.48 d’entre eux en urgence absolue,dont 25 en réa pic.twitter.com/fG2B2fPDR5
3.01pm BST
15:01
The Élysée has put out these pictures of Hollande meeting hospital staff in Nice.
.@fhollande s'est rendu auprès des blessés et a témoigné de son soutien au personnel du CHU Pasteur à #Nice pic.twitter.com/cufFPwNhRV
In his latest statement Hollande revealed that 50 people injured in the attack are still in a critical condition “between life and death”.
He said: “Emergency staff came in the middle of the night to intervene to save lives. They did everything they could to save lives. Their dedication was exemplary.”
2.47pm BST2.47pm BST
14:4714:47
More victims have been named according to unofficial reports. More victims have been named, according to unofficial reports.
Among them was Russian student Viktoria Savchenko. The Moscow-based Academy of Finance where she studied said he was killed in the attack. Among them was Russian student Viktoria Savchenko. The Moscow-based academy of finance where she studied said he was killed in the attack.
La vittima russa di #NiceAttack è una studentessa Viktoria Savchenko dell'Università delle Finanze Che dolore #Nizza https://t.co/LpxyHIL5hWLa vittima russa di #NiceAttack è una studentessa Viktoria Savchenko dell'Università delle Finanze Che dolore #Nizza https://t.co/LpxyHIL5hW
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More from Hollande:More from Hollande:
We have visited scores of injured, who have horrendous images in their heads. They are suffering more because of the psychological trauma. Even people who have no signs of physical injury, will carry throughout their lives the trauma of the horrific images they saw. We have visited scores of injured, who have horrendous images in their heads. They are suffering more because of the psychological trauma. Even people who have no signs of physical injury will carry throughout their lives the trauma of the horrific images they saw.
And he suggested that at least one police officer was killed in the attack:And he suggested that at least one police officer was killed in the attack:
I have tears in my spirit about this young policeman who acted so that killer should be neutralised, and put an end to the carnage. The security services have answered all the demands and the calls upon them. I have tears in my spirit about this young policeman, who acted so that the killer could be neutralised and put an end to the carnage. The security services have answered all the demands and the calls upon them.
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Hollande: 50 injured people 'between life and death'
Here’s more from Hollande’s statement, via a BBC translation.Here’s more from Hollande’s statement, via a BBC translation.
He said the authorities wanted to find out if there were accomplices that posed a threat to the population.He said the authorities wanted to find out if there were accomplices that posed a threat to the population.
In addition to the 84 victims, Hollande said:In addition to the 84 victims, Hollande said:
There are 50 other people who are still receiving emergency treatment. They are between life and death. Among the victims are French citizens as well as foreigners, who came from all continents. And there are a number of young children who came to watch fireworks with their families, who have been struck down just to satisfy the cruelty of one individual or possibly of a group.There are 50 other people who are still receiving emergency treatment. They are between life and death. Among the victims are French citizens as well as foreigners, who came from all continents. And there are a number of young children who came to watch fireworks with their families, who have been struck down just to satisfy the cruelty of one individual or possibly of a group.
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14:2014:20
Caroline DaviesCaroline Davies
A fourth victim has been named according to unconfirmed reports. A fourth victim has been named, according to unconfirmed reports.
Linda Casanova, 54, from Agno in Ticino, an Italian-speaking region in Switzerland, was confirmed to be among the dead by her brother Ivano Casanova.Linda Casanova, 54, from Agno in Ticino, an Italian-speaking region in Switzerland, was confirmed to be among the dead by her brother Ivano Casanova.
Casanova, a customs inspector, was on holiday with her French husband, Gilles, according to Corriere de Ticino . Her brother told the website his sister’s husband was not injured. Casanova, a customs inspector, was on holiday with her French husband, Gilles, according to Corriere de Ticino. Her brother told the website his sister’s husband was not injured.
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Hollande pays tribute to the bravery of the security forces. He says the police are the “pride of France”. He also thanks the fire and rescue services and the hospitals in Nice.Hollande pays tribute to the bravery of the security forces. He says the police are the “pride of France”. He also thanks the fire and rescue services and the hospitals in Nice.
Hospital staff came in the middle of the night to save lives, Hollande says. Their service was exemplary.Hospital staff came in the middle of the night to save lives, Hollande says. Their service was exemplary.
France faces a long battle, the president warns. “The whole world is watching us and expressing its solidarity. The world is thinking of us,” he adds.France faces a long battle, the president warns. “The whole world is watching us and expressing its solidarity. The world is thinking of us,” he adds.
UpdatedUpdated
at 2.47pm BSTat 2.47pm BST
2.14pm BST
14:14
President Hollande is giving a statement after hosting a meeting of security officials in Nice.
He says 84 people have died, and a further 50 are “between life and death”.
People from a number of nationalities are among the dead, Hollande says.
Those who witnessed the attack will have to live with the trauma, he says.
2.07pm BST
14:07
Even after all France has endured, this attack is a huge shock, writes Agnès Poirier
This is the third attack on France and the French way of life in 18 months. Every one of us has been targeted by this radical Islamist ideology: cartoonists, journalists, French Jews, football fans, diners, rock fans, and now families enjoying that most childlike and wondrous of spectacles: Bastille Day fireworks.
There is hope, of course, that this warped ideology, in its profound inhumanity, will eventually self-destruct. We shouldn’t simply wait for it to happen, though.
A state of emergency cannot protect us all. The aim of the attackers is to exhaust police forces while triggering a civil-war mentality in the country. The question is: what can each of us do to eradicate this festering disease? We can stay calm and resolute, of course, but that is not enough. The government must have a clear long-term strategy, and we must all be united and stand firm on the République’s values of fraternité and laïcité.
Related: Even after all France has endured, this attack is a huge shock | Agnes Poirier
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14:00
Here’s that footage of a motorcyclist attempting to stop the truck. The motorcyclist appears to approach the lorry’s door but is pushed aside (see earlier).
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13:57
Front National leader Marine Le Pen has called for war to be declared against Islamic fundamentalism.
“The war against the scourge of Islamic fundamentalism has not started, it is urgent now to declare,” she said in a statement on the party’s website.
She called for action as well as compassion, and said she would put all her energy into leading the fight to “eradicate the scourge of Islamic fundamentalism”.
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Pope Francis says he is praying for the victims and has God to “convert the hearts of the violent blinded by hate”.
I pray for the victims of the attack in Nice and their families. I ask God to convert the hearts of the violent blinded by hate.
1.46pm BST
13:46
A team of experts from Interpol has been dispatched to Nice to help identify the victims.
INTERPOL Incident Response Team being deployed to #Nice to provide disaster victim identification assistance
1.44pm BST
13:44
A security alert at Nice airport has been lifted after passengers were evacuated to allow soldiers to search the terminal.
The airport’s website showed flights leaving and landing as usual. In a message posted to the site’s home page, the airport said: “Despite the dreadful events that occurred, access to the airport and air traffic won’t be disrupted.”
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13:38
Henry McDonald
The western Irish city of Galway has remembered the victims of the Nice attack, just after the city was named European Capital of Culture for 2020.
Up to a thousand people who gathered in Galway’s Mainguard Street to watch a live TV screening of the Capital of Culture result stood and applauded in memory of those who died in the terror attack. The organisers also flew the French flag alongside the light blue flag of the Galway bid in solidarity with France today.
The Irish culture minister, Heather Humphreys, noted that one of the aims of the European City of Culture initiative was to bring the people of Europe closer together and improve mutual understanding. In reflecting on the attack in Nice she said:
“We can only respond to such attacks by strengthening our resolve and commitment to our culture and our way of life in Europe. It is at moments such as this that we say aloud that we will not stop celebrating what is great about living in Ireland, in France or in Europe.
“Our cultural expression was central to the respectful way, this year, that we in Ireland marked the centenary of the birth of our sovereign nation. Last night thousands of locals and visitors were enjoying France’s cultural celebration of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity.”
Passing on her sympathy to the victims and their families, Humphreys stated that these values would prevail in Europe no matter the provocation.
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1.33pm BST
13:33
An eight-month-old baby boy lost in the chaos after the attack has been tracked down through Facebook, AFP reports.
Tiava Banner - who said she was not the mother of the baby - sent out an appeal on Facebook looking for any information on the whereabouts of the child who had been lost in his blue stroller when the rampaging truck sent hundreds fleeing in panic as they watched Bastille Day fireworks.
The post was shared thousands of times until it was updated with: “Found! Thank you Facebook and all those who helped us.”
A member of the family contacted by AFP on Friday said: “A young woman found him and took him home with her. She then went online and found the photo of the baby on Facebook.”
The woman then contacted the baby’s parents.
Dozens of other people appealed through social media to find missing loved ones.
“We are worried to death”, “We haven’t heard from him since he went to see the fireworks”, were some of the messages.
1.28pm BST
13:28
A German journalist who witnessed the Nice attack said he saw a motorcyclist chase the killer truck and try to enter the cabin but fall and end up under the wheels.
Richard Gutjahr, 42, who shot smartphone video footage of the attack gave this graphic account to AFP:
“I stood on the balcony, right on the Promenade des Anglais, and saw how people celebrated there, and how suddenly a truck drove through the crowd.
“Surprisingly, he drove very slowly, not fast, he drove slowly and he was chased by a motorcyclist.
“The motorcyclist attempted to overtake the truck and even tried to open the driver’s door, but he fell and ended up under the wheels of the truck.
“Then the driver stepped on the accelerator and the truck sped up, accelerated and drove in a zigzag course into the crowd.
“In the next 15 to 20 seconds there were shots from several guns. I don’t know who shot at whom.
“The panicked crowd ran in all directions. Those who could save themselves ran into the hotels, or sought security in the hotel entrances.
“Right afterwards I personally saw 12 dead bodies, and it was already clear there would be more.”
Updated
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