77 Dead, Dozens Injured in Attack in Nice, France

A truck rammed into a large crowd leaving a Bastille Day celebration
By Michael Harthorne,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 14, 2016 5:25 PM CDT
Updated Jul 14, 2016 8:16 PM CDT
30 Dead, 100 Injured in Attack in Nice, France
Police officers and a soldier stand by the sealed off area of an attack after a truck drove on to the sidewalk and plowed through a crowd of revelers who'd gathered to watch the fireworks in the French resort city of Nice.   (AP Photo/Ciaran Fahey)

Authorities say at least 77 people are dead and dozens more injured after a truck plowed into a Bastille Day celebration Thursday in Nice, France. Reuters reports the crowd was leaving holiday festivities at the Promenade des Anglais seaside walk when the truck hit it. The truck drove for more than a mile through the crowd, according to CNN. A witness tells the Guardian the truck was going between 25mph and 30mph. “I was walking for nearly a mile, and there were dead bodies all over the place,” a journalist at the scene says. “We saw people hit and bits of debris flying around,” another reporter says. “It was absolute chaos."

The Paris prosecutor's office opened an investigation for "murder, attempted murder in an organized group linked to a terrorist enterprise," reports AP. There are reports the driver of the truck, who was believed to be the only person inside, fired on the crowd. The driver was shot and killed by police, and authorities say they found weapons, including guns and grenades, inside the truck. Authorities are asking people to stay inside their homes. CBS News reports French anti-terror police are now investigating the attack. President Obama condemned what "appears to be a horrific terrorist attack," adding, "Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and other loved ones of those killed." (More Attack in Nice stories.)

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