Nice attack: At least 84 dead as truck rams into Bastille Day crowd in terrorist assault in French Riviera city

Updated

At least 84 people are dead after a truck ploughed into a crowd of late-night revellers celebrating Bastille Day in Nice, in a terrorist attack described as the "worst catastrophe" in the French Riviera's modern history.

Key points: Truck driver shot dead after ploughing into crowd in Nice

At least 84 people dead, 50 injured

Hollande says it was a terrorist attack

Follow the live blog for updates as they happen

The driver was shot dead by police after the truck barrelled down the famed Promenade des Anglais seafront, sending hundreds of terrified people fleeing and leaving bodies strewn in its wake.

The driver had fired a pistol several times before being shot dead by police, authorities said.

Identity papers belonging to a 31-year-old French-Tunisian citizen were reportedly found inside the 19-tonne truck.

French president Francois Hollande said France had been hit by a terrorist attack on its national day, "the 14th of July, the symbol of freedom".

"Nice is now hit. It's all of France which is under the threat of Islamic terrorism," he said.

"In these circumstances, we must show absolute vigilance."

Warning: this story contains graphic images.

Several children are among the 84 victims, while another 50 people are critically injured.

"I have decided that the state of emergency, which was to end on the 26th on July, will be extended by three months," Mr Hollande said, referring to a measure introduced after last year's series of coordinated attacks in Paris.

"Nothing will make us give up in our will to fight terrorism."

Three Australians were injured in the attack, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said.

Tour operator Topdeck Travel said on its website that one of its Australian customers was being treated in hospital.

The president of the Nice region, Christian Estrosi, said the truck was loaded with weapons and grenades, and the driver was firing a pistol when he was shot.

"This is the worst catastrophe our region has seen in modern history," he said.

Soldiers, police and ambulance crews attended the scene, while residents of the Mediterranean city, close to the Italian border, were advised to stay indoors.

"Investigations are currently under way to establish if the individual acted alone or if he had accomplices who might have fled," interior ministry spokesman Pierre-Henry Brandet said, denying reports a hostage-taking incident had taken place.

ABC man describes screaming, loud bangs as truck hit

Sorry, this video has expired Video: Truck slams into crowd in Nice (ABC News)

Many people, including families, had been at the promenade watching a fireworks display.

ABC producer David Coady was among the crowds fleeing the scene in panic, and said he could hear screaming and loud bangs.

"People were tripping over in the commotion, there was a lot of panic," he told ABC News 24.

"People were trying to get into hotels, any businesses that were open, trying to take shelter, because it was unclear what was happening.

"With each bang that we heard behind us, people perhaps started to go a bit faster, people were tripping over, it was a very chaotic scene."

'There was a loud thud, I could hear gunshots'

Sorry, this video has expired Video: People run after truck crashes into Nice crowd (ABC News)

Sydney man Marcus Freeman, who is holidaying in Nice, is now in lockdown in his hotel, not far from the promenade.

"We brought in about 10 people from the street and they're currently in our hotel room, and it's just mayhem," he told Radio National.

"We just locked the doors, we got the people in here, we don't know what's happening. It's just an unrealistic situation for us."

Adelaide woman Evie Timetheo told 5AA the scene was chaotic.

"Everything just went crazy, people started screaming, there was a loud thud, I could hear gunshots," she said.

"We just ran into our hotel, because everyone just dispersed."

A photograph showed the front of the truck riddled with bullet holes and badly damaged, with burst tyres.

Hollande in Paris crisis talks

US President Barack Obama said the US stood with France.

"We know that the character of the French Republic will endure long after this devastating and tragic loss of life," Mr Obama said.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull described the attack as a "murderous act of terror".

"The ANZACS of today [were] leading the Bastille Day Parade in Paris — a recognition of the sacrifice and heroism of a century ago and also of our resolute solidarity with the people of France in the struggle against Islamist terrorism today," he said.

Sorry, this video has expired Video: Hollande extends state of emergency after Nice attacks (ABC News)

Australian terrorism expert Greg Barton from Deakin University said the scale and "clear deliberate intent" of the attack indicated it was most likely the work of Islamic State terrorists.

"The logic of using a heavily-laden truck at speed into a crowd where they can't run away, you can see how devastating the effect of it is," he told ABC News 24.

"And you can imagine cells in France talking among themselves of opportunities they had, what they had at hand, and it's no surprise they have come up with something like this."

He said the French Government would now have to determine whether the Nice incident could be the start of a coordinated series of attacks.

"The immediate crisis meeting now with Francois Hollande is to try to figure out what else might be coming," he said.

ABC/wires

Topics: disasters-and-accidents, terrorism, unrest-conflict-and-war, france

First posted