Driver kills dozens with truck in French city

UPDATED: 5pm At least 73 people are now reported dead and over 100 injured, many critically, in what appears to be a terror attack on a Bastille Day celebration in Nice, France.

The driver of a large white truck drove into crowds of people observing a fireworks display on a popular waterfront street. The truck was steered for over two kilometres through the gathering while police units attempted to follow and engage the assailant.

An exchange of gunfire between police and the driver reported initially after the attack is not confirmed, however footage from the scene shows bullet holes in the truck’s windscreen where the driver was killed by police weapons, according to France’s interior minister.

French media are reporting guns and grenades have been found inside the vehicle, indicating the driver may have planned further attacks. It is still unclear whether the driver acted alone.

Local police also say no hostage situation occurred in parallel with the truck attack.

EARLIER: Almost 80 people are feared dead after a truck rammed a crowd in the French port town of Nice.

French media are reporting the truck’s occupants and police did exchange gunfire. Other reports suggest the driver stepped out of the vehicle and shot into the crowd before the local police engaged and killed him.

The crowd was celebrating Bastille Day late in the evening.

Unconfirmed reports have also surfaced of a hostage situation at the Le Meridien hotel or perhaps at the nearby Buffalo Grill, which is located in the same square – the Promenade des Anglais – as the initial attack.

Le Figaro reports police officers positioned at the entrance to the Promenade des Anglais shot at the truck’s cabin to stop the driver from entering the no-drive area, but the driver managed to evade the shots and struck the crowd. Witnesses say the driver accelerated to run over more people.

Initial reports say that after the truck came to a stop, the driver was roughly pulled out of the cabin by angry people, who then handed him over to the police. The police have now confirmed, though, that officers shot and killed the driver.

The Nice prosecutor’s office was quoted saying 60 people may be dead and more than 100 injured.

The incident took place on the same day that French President Francois Hollande announced the country would soon lift a state of emergency that had been in effect since the Paris attacks in November. The country is still reeling from the Paris attacks and is trying to adapt its security apparatus to prevent further attacks.

Many details of the attack are still unavailable.

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