Explosives found in truck used in French attack; 73 dead - East Idaho News
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Explosives found in truck used in French attack; 73 dead

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Update
At least 73 people were killed when a truck rammed a crowd, according to French media, citing the Nice prosecutor’s office.

The attack began when an occupant of the truck shot into the crowd and then drove for 2 kilometers along the pavement of the Boulevard des Anglais, regional President Christian Estrosi told CNN affiliate BFM-TV. He said police later found firearms, explosives and grenades in the truck.

Original story
(CNN) — A long white truck ran into a crowd of people in Nice, France, on Bastille Day, killing “probably” 30 people and injuring 100 more, a local prefecture official told CNN.

One witness, an American who was about 15 feet from the truck, said the driver pointed his tractor trailer into the crowd, mowing bodies over.

A CNN affiliate in France, BFM-TV, reported police exchanged gunfire with people in the truck.

Here are the latest developments in the tragedy:

• Maryam Violet, a witness, said she was walking along the beach and saw “a ton of people on the ground and on the sidewalk.” “You could see someone with a bike or a wheelchair and someone with a bag full of flowers, innocent and normal people on the beach.”

• French President Francois Hollande is returning to Paris from Avignon for emergency talks at the Interior Ministry after the mass casualty incident in Nice, according to French national radio.

• Facebook has activated the Safety Check feature for people in and around the area of the attack.

• An American witness at the scene said the driver of the truck was mowing bodies over, and that he appeared to accelerate as he hit those bodies. The witness said he saw only the driver. He heard gunfire as he ran away, but did not know its source. It seemed like an accident at first, but it became apparent very quickly that it was deliberate, the witness told CNN.

• BFM posted an image of the truck that reportedly was involved in the incident. The photo shows what appears to be bullet holes in the windshield of the white truck.

• Christian Estrosi, the head of the regional council of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, said late Thursday: “Dear Nice residents, the driver of a truck appears to have caused tens of deaths. Stay for the moment in your homes. More info to come.”

• Eric Dartell was eating at a restaurant on the street where the incident happened. “You can see wreckage all along the way, a body, bicycles, street lamps and debris everywhere,” he said.

Developing story — more to come.

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