A van plowed into a crowd leaving a fireworks display in the French Riviera town of Nice on Thursday, injuring several people and sparking panic, in what local officials said could be an attack.
Police and ambulances went to the scene and authorities from the local Alpes-Maritimes prefecture urged residents to stay indoors.
An AFP reporter described seeing a white van driving at high speed onto the famed Promenade des Anglais as people were leaving after the annual Bastille Day celebration display.
“We saw people hit and bits of debris flying around,” he said.
“The driver of a van appears to have killed dozens. Stay in your homes for now. More info to follow,” mayor Christian Estrosi wrote on Twitter.
Local authorities from the Alpes-Maritimes prefecture also urged people to remain indoors following what appeared to be a deliberate attack on crowds who had been watching the annual fireworks display from the famed Promenade des Anglais.
Witnesses also described hearing gunfire, but this was not immediately confirmed by the authorities.
Update: According to AFP, the city’s mayor said “dozens [were] likely dead” after the incident.
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