Attack in Nice: What We Know

What we know:

—At least 80 people died late Thursday after a truck drove into the crowds celebrating Bastille Day in Nice, a city on France’s southern coast.

—Another 20 people are in critical condition, French President Francois Hollande said in a national address. Among the dead are an unspecified number of children.

—Hollande said the attack was an act of “Islamic terrorism.” No organizations have yet claimed responsibility.

—An interior ministry spokesman said the truck’s driver had been killed. His identity is currently unknown. Grenades and firearms were also reportedly found in the truck.

—France’s state of emergency has been extended three more months. Hollande had announced earlier today before the attack it would end on July 26.

—We’re live-blogging the major updates. All updates are in Eastern Standard Time (GMT -5).

12:50 a.m.

That’s a wrap for updates tonight. Our coverage will resume here Friday morning at 8 a.m. Eastern time.

Updated on July 15 at 10:28 p.m.

At least 80 people have now died in the attack, French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve just announced. 18 more people are gravely injured.

.@BCazeneuve annonce un nouveau bilan de 80 personnes décédées et 18 blessés en urgence absolue et de nombreux blessés #Nice

— Ministère Intérieur (@Place_Beauvau) July 15, 2016

9:48 p.m.

President Francois Hollande in a televised statement confirmed that 77 people had been killed in Nice, include several children.

“It’s France in its entirety that is being targeted by Islamic terrorism,” he said.

He said the state of emergency, which was scheduled to end July 26, will be extended by three months. That state of emergency was imposed after last November’s Paris attacks.

“We will intensify our airstrikes in Syria and Iraq,” he said. “We will continue to strike those who threaten us.”

9:40 p.m.

Christian Estrosi, the Nice mayor, tweeted that flags in the city will fly half-staff Friday. He also announced the cancellation of a scheduled concert by Rihanna, as well as of a jazz festival that was set to begin Saturday.

9:31 p.m.

News of the Nice attack is dominating the Friday editions of the French newspapers.

Here’s Le Figaro:

EN DIRECT - "L'horreur, à nouveau" à la une du Figaro >> https://t.co/2F6oHpGeRM pic.twitter.com/5CbE3VlzDj

— Le Figaro (@Le_Figaro) July 15, 2016

9:27 p.m.

Hillary Clinton, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, told CNN: “Clearly, what is happening is terrorist groups are seeing that they have opportunities inside France for both home-grown terrorism and importing terrorists.” She added:

Assuming this was a group like ISIS or somebody who is sympathetic to ISIS, whether they have had any direct contact with the organization, from everything we have learned about what’s happening in Iraq, there have been a number of victories on the battlefield recently by Iraqi forces and coalition partners against ISIS. they are losing territory and yet, that does not seem to have any impact on the number of attacks we’re seeing in other countries. if anything, it seems like those attacks are escalating. … But i think it’s also clear that as a result, of these advances against ISIS, and their main headquarters in Raqqah, their urgent desire to inflict terrorist attacks elsewhere has led them to accelerate, reaching out not only directly but indirectly through the radicalization online.

It’s worth pointing out here that no one has yet claimed responsibility—nor have French officials publicly described it as a terrorist attack.

9:24 p.m.

Several witnesses have come forward to describe what they saw tonight in Nice.

Hali McField of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, told CBS News, said she “watched a bunch of people running away” from the scene, screaming. Wassim Bouhlel, a Nice native, told the AP, he saw the truck drive into the crowd. “There was carnage on the road,” he said. “Bodies everywhere.”

Colin Srivastava, a Briton, told the BBC he saw several hundred people running toward him “looking panic-stricken.” He ran along with them, he said, until the police came by and said: “Run, now.”

Katie Shaw, an Australian tourist, told the Australian Associated Press: “We had no idea what was going on. Then all we could hear was gunshots. My friend just grabbed me and we all went out the back stairs and had to sprint out staying low with guys ushering us away from the foreshore.”

8:41 p.m.

Christian Estrosi, the former mayor of Nice and current regional president, says 77 people are dead in the "terrible attack."

Le dernier bilan de ce terrible attentat s'élève à 77 victimes décédées.

— Christian Estrosi (@cestrosi) July 15, 2016

8:40 p.m.

Last week, as we reported, a French parliamentary inquiry examining the 2015 Paris attacks recommended that the country’s many intelligence agencies be merged to create a single agency. Georges Fenech, the commission’s president, said all the suspects involved in the two sets of attacks had been known to authorities. The commission also found the state of emergency imposed after the November attacks had a “limited impact” on security.

8:24 p.m.

The Associated Press reports the Paris prosecutor's office has opened a terrorism investigation into the incident in Nice. French media outlets are also reporting the country's anti-terrorism department is also investigating the incident.

7:55 p.m.

President Obama has issued a statement condemning "what appears to be a horrific terrorist attack in Nice, France" and pledging U.S. assistance in the investigation.

On behalf of the American people, I condemn in the strongest terms what appears to be a horrific terrorist attack in Nice, France, which killed and wounded dozens of innocent civilians. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and other loved ones of those killed, and we wish a full recovery for the many wounded.  I have directed my team to be in touch with French officials, and we have offered any assistance that they may need to investigate this attack and bring those responsible to justice. We stand in solidarity and partnership with France, our oldest ally, as they respond to and recover from this attack.

On this Bastille Day, we are reminded of the extraordinary resilience and democratic values that have made France an inspiration to the entire world, and we know that the character of the French Republic will endure long after this devastating and tragic loss of life.

7:15 p.m.

Citing events in France, presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump says he will delay his previously scheduled announcement of his running mate.

In light of the horrible attack in Nice, France, I have postponed tomorrow's news conference concerning my Vice Presidential announcement.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 14, 2016

7:03 p.m.

French news organizations, including France 24, are reporting that the truck’s driver got out of the vehicle and began shooting. The driver has been killed, the Interior Ministry’s spokesman said. Pierre-Henry Brandet also said an investigation will determine if the truck’s driver acted alone.

6:49 p.m.

President Obama’s national security team briefed him Thursday evening about the incident in Nice and he will continue getting updates, the White House said.

6:48 p.m.

France 24, the English-language French broadcaster, is reporting that the death toll in Nice is 60. Its source is a police prefect.

6:45 p.m.

Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, called it “a horrific attack” in a tweet.

Another horrific attack, this time in Nice, France. Many dead and injured. When will we learn? It is only getting worse.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 14, 2016

We’ll add other political reaction as we see them.

6:42 p.m.

Thursday’s attack coincides with an announcement by Hollande that France was lifting its state of emergency on July 26. It was imposed shortly after last November’s Paris attacks.

6:38 p.m.

Facebook has activated its Safety Check for users in Nice, allowing them to tell friends and family they are safe.

Facebook a activé le Safety Check pour rassurer les proches des personnes présentes à #Nice06 pic.twitter.com/pkd4dB248T

— Nice-Matin (@Nice_Matin) July 14, 2016

The social media site launched this service in 2014 in the case of natural disasters and crises, including terrorist attacks. Once a person checks in, it notifies all Facebook friends with a notification.

6:35 p.m.

Officials have asked everyone in Nice to remain indoors. Users on Twitter have begun using the hashtag #PortesOuvertesNice, or #OpenDoorsNice, to open their doors to those who are seeking shelter.

Si vous êtes dehors sur #Nice et que vous avez besoin d'un abri, utilisez #PortesOuvertesNice

— Florent Mester (@OctoSheik) July 14, 2016

6:25 p.m.

France was the scene of two major terrorist attacks in 2015. The attack in January of that year on Charlie Hebdo magazine, a supermarket, and other locations killed 17 people. In November, attacks across Paris killed 130 people.

6:23 p.m.

French President Francois Hollande condemned the attack as a “criminal act,” according to FranceTVinfo.

6:18 p.m.

This isn't the first time someone has driven into crowds in France, causing casualties. There were at least two such events in 2014—one in Nantes and the other in Dijon. Those incidents occurred within days of each other in December of that year and injured several people. The method has also been used by Palestinians in Israel, injuring dozens.  

6:17 p.m.

The Associated Press, citing a French official, is calling it an attack.   

BREAKING: French official: Truck smashing into crowd in Nice was "an attack," several hurt.

— The Associated Press (@AP) July 14, 2016

6:02 p.m.

Agence France-Presse, the French news agency, is citing an official as saying 30 people are dead.

#BREAKING Up to 30 feared dead after van rams into crowd in Nice: local official

— AFP news agency (@AFP) July 14, 2016

It’s still unclear why the truck drove into the crowd.

5:58 p.m.

The city on the French Rivera had been celebrating Bastille Day, the day the infamous prison in Paris was stormed in 1789. A mere half hour before the reported fatalities, Christian Estrosi, the mayor, had tweeted images of the celebrations.

Depuis la Promenade des Anglais devant feu d'artifice de #Nice06, je vs souhaite une bonne fête nationale #14juillet pic.twitter.com/mClRigE8iG

— Christian Estrosi (@cestrosi) July 14, 2016

He later reported “dozens of deaths” in the city.

5:43 p.m.

A local official is tweeting that there are “dozens of deaths.”

Cher niçois, le chauffeur d'un camion semble avoir fait des dizaines de morts. Restez pour le moment à votre domicile. Plus d'infos à venir

— Christian Estrosi (@cestrosi) July 14, 2016

These are initial reports, and the numbers may well change.

5:22 p.m.

Images posted on Twitter appear to show casualties at the scene.

5:20 p.m.

People in Nice, France, can be seen running in panic after a vehicle reportedly crashed into them.

BREAKING: Panic in #Nice, France after #truck drives into crowd at promenade https://t.co/g4CNC7nYUu pic.twitter.com/uu0Jthjlfh

— RT (@RT_com) July 14, 2016

This is a developing story and we'll update it as we learn more.