Late on Thursday night, a truck drove straight onto citizens who had gathered in order to see the firework display commemorating the French national day. The latest reports speak of 84 dead while there are 202 wounded, 25 of which are In mechanical support and 52 are considered to be in critical condition
What we know until now:
– Around 11 at night, the driver of a white van drove straight onto a large group of people who had gathered in order to view the Bastille Day firework presentation.
– 84 people, many children among them, are reported to be dead while 202 are injured and at least 25 in critical condition. Latest reports suggest 54 children are hospitalized
– The driver of the vehicle was shot dead by the police.
– The driver was identified as Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, a 31 year old French-Tunisian who was known to the authorities for having taken part in robberies and for violent incidents.
– No terrorist organization has issued any statement regarding the attack and the motives of perpetrator, possibly just one, remain unclear.
– The French president Francois Hollande and the prime minister Manuel Valls have both made statements which make it clear that they consider this latest incident to be a terrorist one.
– France is on red alert, a condition which will not be lifted as was expected. The country was put on red alert after a series of terrorist attacks in Paris and this was scheduled to be lifted on July 26. After the latest incident the alert will be kept for three more months.
– Almost all western countries have expressed their sympathy for the latest atrocity.
– The Foreign Ministry on Friday invited citizens concerned over the wellbeing of Greeks who may have been present at a deadly attack on a Bastille Day celebration in Nice, France, to call its hotline for information on (+30) 210.368.1730 and (+30) 210.368.1259, or send an e-mail to mdk@mfa.gr.
However, the Greek Embassy in Paris has said it had no reports of any Greek nationals being among the those killed or injured.