15/07/2016 BBC News at Six

More than 80 people have been killed and nearly 200 injured.

They were cut down by in 18 tonne lorry and many women and children

are among the dead. Running for their lives,

thousands flee in panic People were running

everywhere screaming, no one understood what's going on,

until the gun shooting, at that moment we understood

it is something serious. The driver is shot dead at the wheel

but only after causing carnage along a mile long stretch of road. The man

in the cab is now known to be a 31-year-old French Tunisian will

stop tonight, the British tourists caught up in the chaos say they are

lucky to be alive. All we could think of afterwards was

how lucky we hadn't been... Because as we made our way back

up to the promenade, Who's made the cut at

the Open Championship? No trouble for Phil

Mickelson he's right up Good evening and welcome

to the BBC News at Six. We're in Nice in the South

of France, the scene of a major This is the promenade is anglais,

running right along the seafront. It was a scene of utter chaos and

carnage, more than 80 people are now dead. 18 tonne lorry ploughed into

crowds of people who had gathered along a mile long stretch of the

road to celebrate France's national day, Bastille Day. Many of them had

just enjoyed a fireworks display over the scene. Behind the white

barriers where the lorry came to a stop and the front window was shot

out by police marksman when they shot the driver.

Tonight more than 50 people are believed to be

We will have the very latest on the investigation and we will talk to

some of those who are lucky to be alive, having survived the attack.

Our Correspondent Lucy Williamson has our first report.

It contains images you may find distressing.

They dared to celebrate freedom. And paid with fear. Each lovers,

partygoers and children. Hunted with the most mundane of weapons, a

lorry. It arrived as the fireworks were ending, crawling onto the

promenade before picking up speed and heading straight for the crowd.

Its first appearance caught on camera by this man. Up until this

very moment here, the truck actually didn't run over anybody, yet there

was a motorcyclist trying to approach the truck, trying to open

the door while driving. He failed and fell off the motorcycle. And

then there were two police officers standing right here at that very

corner and they fired two gunshots at the driver of that truck. Up

until then, the rampage took place. The vehicle accelerated and ran in a

very odd way, right into the middle of the crowd. What's happening?

What's wrong? It is exact for more than a mile through the street party

as people ran. -- it zig-zagged. Bodies were falling like skittles,

one witness said. Another saw parents throwing their children over

fences to try and keep them safe. GUNFIRE

The police surrounded the car and they kept shooting him until they

were sure he was dead. I saw him dead already, I've saw his head

outside the window of the truck. Again, the French police officer,

when he saw me standing up and filming, he came to be aggressively

and yelled at me to get down, get down. And for all the people on the

beach to run, because maybe they thought there was a bomb in the car

or other people hiding inside the truck from behind. At that moment, I

realised that this is really something wrong and I started to run

with the people. TRANSLATION: In the cabin there was an automatic weapon,

bullets, eight clash can of, M16s, a grenade, a mobile phone that is

still being investigated. And various documents. French officials

say the driver was a local man, a 31-year-old French Tunisian known to

police for petty crimes. Today, the only figures on Lees's empty scene

fronts was forensics team, picking their way through the debris of

grief. France was just begin to feel safe again after the attacks last

year, safe enough even to come out and celebrate being French. But as

people ran, screaming, down the street, last night, the sound of

gunfire mimicking fireworks, that moment of national pride and

national unity became once again an individual race to survive. Imad

said he froze when he saw the lorry and then ran towards the beach.

Above the screams, he heard the lorry's engine just behind him, his

path ahead blocked by a bench. And then when I jumped over the bench, I

found myself... I jumped onto a woman, she was laying on the ground.

I just closed my eyes and waited for the crash. Either to crush me or to

survive. I was feeling I was going to die, I was feeling really, really

scared. I didn't know what to do, but I gave up on that moment. Until

I saw the bench breaking up, it was too loud and scary. I looked at it

and I found it destroyed. It was a really, really close. The thing that

was between me and the truck was a small bench. The French president

arriving in Nice Mac today, described the attack as a

monstrosity. Of the 200 people injured, he said 50 watts hovering

between life and death. TRANSLATION: We are facing a long battle because

we are facing an enemy who will continue to hate all the peoples,

the countries, who enjoy liberty, who put liberty as the essential

value. The flowers blooming on the barricades mark a particular kind of

pain, the slow knocking torture of French values. Attacks that

highlight the price of freedom, the failure of fraternity and that

brutal equaliser, death. Lucy Williamson, BBC News, Nice.

Our correspondent Andrew Plant is outside the hospital where many

Many of them are still in a critical condition tonight? Of the 30,000 or

so people watching the fireworks in Nice last night... INTERFERENCE many

remain in hospitals in Nice. At the moment the death toll is at 84. I am

very sorry, we are having problems with that line. We will try and get

back to him when we can. As we have heard, this lorry travelled for

about a mile before it was the driver... The driver was killed. It

came from that direction and ended up the hype that white type falling

behind me and many people are wondering how the driver continued

for so long, ploughing into people and leaving so much carnage behind.

It was supposed to be a night of celebration that ended in confusion,

chaos and carnage. The attack started at 11pm local time as

thousands of families strolled home after a night of fireworks. The

lorry was heading east along the promenade is anglais and picked up

speed on a rampage that was to last for more than a mile. Within

minutes, the first casualties were reported. The driver began to swerve

from side to side, trying to kill as many people as possible. He then

careered into the pedestrian area. Armed police opened fire but

couldn't stop him. Armed police opened fire,

but couldn't stop him, as he continued to plough

through the crowd. Eyewitnesses say he was travelling

at around 50 mph. You can see the Promenade des

Anglais just behind the famous Hotel Negresco at the

bottom of this street. By this point, several

minutes into the attack, he had already killed dozens

of people and it was to be 300 or 400 more metres that way before

he was finally stopped, Finally, further down the promenade,

using heavy fire, police managed to stop the lorry and kill

the driver, as people fled in panic. Matthew, from Kingston upon Thames,

had been on what was meant to be a dream holiday

with his girlfriend. Today, he knows they

are lucky to be alive. There was a lady in front of us

on a scooter, with her kids, She wasn't trampled,

but there were people People were picking

up kids and running, and the kids were crying,

as you can imagine. People didn't really

know what was going on. This was not a high-tech attack,

but the brutality and the banality of the method make it

all the more terrifying. Well one of the British couples

caught up in last night's mayhem was Paul and Rebecca Gordon,

from the Midlands. They'd come to Nice for a holiday

with their 18-month-old daughter. And they've been speaking

to our correspondent Tom Burridge. Rebecca and Paul are on holiday

in Nice with their 18-month-old And they had walked along

the promenade, back to their hotel, just moments

before the attack. Because we were on the fourth floor,

I could see pretty much I just turned to my left

and I just saw the whole road He just accelerated at a faster

speed than he had approached And he hit...

Everyone. I saw that the truck bounced, which

must have been... And I saw people being

knocked, like skittles. You came running and said,

"look what's happened". I came out and there were just

people on the floor, just dead. Today is about coming

to terms with what happened. There were a lot of families there,

a lot of teenagers, I noticed. There was a lot of young lives lost,

a lot of young lives. We're safe.

You know, everything's OK. There are phone calls

to loved ones back home. And reflection about the wider

issues at hand. It's very easy to

tarnish one religion. It's nothing to do

with religion, this is people that want to get their way,

their terror across. They are just using

religion as their tool. I have to say, coming out into Nice,

I admire the people here, because everybody is just out in the street,

getting on with life. Tonight is the last night

of their holiday, their But they know they

were the lucky ones. They saw, but survived,

a night of horror in Nice. Well, today, detectives have been

examining every detail of the scene here in Nice for evidence

of the killer's It's the third major terror attack

in France in less than two years. Our security correspondent

Frank Gardner has on the latest Against a perfect Riviera backdrop,

the grisly investigation has begun. French crime scene officers have

been piecing together the final moments of last night's attack. What

of the perpetrator? Named as Tunisian born Mohamed Lahouaiej

Bouhlel, he is believed to have lived in this apartment building in

Nice. Neighbours described his behaviour as odd. If we arrived at

the building behind him, he would slam the door in our faces. Frankly,

not normal. Investigators have seized anything that could throw a

light on why Bouhlel committed such an abominable act. He was known by

the police for violence and petty theft between 2010 and 2016. He was

convicted in March and sentenced by the court to six months in prison.

But there was nothing to suggest any sign of radicalisation. Only

yesterday, during the Bastille Day parade, it was expected that

France's state of emergency would be ended. Now it has been extended and

10,000 troops have been mobilised. France is clearly a top target for

so-called Islamic State or IS. It has the largest number of foreign

fighters in Syria and Iraq, and also, the leadership of Islamic

State now includes two Frenchman who have nothing else as a desire but to

hit France. Using lorries like this was a call made by IS two years ago.

It has established a network of supporters in every European

country. The security service here and the police anti-terror command

are working closely with the French on this investigation. They are

looking to see if there is any investigation that could link the

attacker in Nice with anybody here. The government is reviewing its

safety procedures to reduce the chances of a similar attack

succeeding here in Britain. Tonight, the instrument of summoning people's

death and injury has been told away. But the question remains. Can

France's next terror attack be stopped? Frank Gardner, BBC News.

Leaders around the world have been offering condolences to the people

of France. The Prime Minister Theresa May

gave this response. If, as we fear, this

was a terrorist attack, we must redouble our efforts

to defeat these brutal murderers, With me here, tracking every

move throughout the day, Lucy, this is the third major attack

in the last two years. Is there any confidence among the French people

that the authorities have a handle on the terror situation? The tragedy

is that that confidence was starting to come back. The November attack

hit the mood hard here. There was a sense people were waiting for the

next attack. Then along came the European Championships. Everybody

expected an attack and it did not happen. Towards the end of that

tournament, last week, people started to relax. They feel like

celebrating again. On France's National Day, this happens. Many

people will feel they are back to square one. The motive is important.

We have to determine why this attack took place. It has the potential to

set people back. Suggestions that the borders have been sealed in some

places and extra security precautions have been taken as a

result. As far as confidence is concerned and the mood of the

people, what is that like? I think it will take a severe knock,

particularly if this is confirmed to be terrorism. President Hollande has

been quick to say, yes, we are sending out soldiers, reinforcing

the borders, extending the state of emergency, there has been criticism

over the way the intelligence services worked. Both in the lead up

to the terror attacks last year and in the aftermath. There are a lot of

questions people in France have about how safe the government can

keep them. Lucy Williamson. A quick reminder that you can catch

up with all the latest on our website, including the live

page, where we have the very latest Now for the moment, back

to Reeta in the studio. Theresa May has used her second full

day as Prime Minister to visit Scotland, for a meeting

with the First Minister, They discussed the future of

the Union, as well as the fall-out Mrs May said she was willing

to "listen to options" on Scotland's future relationship

with the European Union. Our Scotland Editor,

Sarah Smith, reports now. Theresa May's first mission as

the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is to try to keep

that kingdom united. And that means coming to visit

a First Minister who would dearly love to take

Scotland out of the union. The symbolism of this meeting

is important, Theresa May demonstrating how

much he cares about Scotland remaining part

of the Talk about Brexit negotiations and

Scotland's potential place in the Now, Mrs May has to take the UK out

while Ms Sturgeon tries to They did agree, the Scottish

can explore different options and Nicola Sturgeon did

bring up the prospect of Scottish It may be that if we want

to protect our relationship with the European Union then

Scotland may has to consider becoming an independent member

of the European Union. But I've also said I want

to consider all options The Prime Minister has said this

process will be open to considering options

that we bring forward. Nicola Sturgeon says

she has a lot in common

with Theresa May, part from their politics,

of And their views on whether Scotland

should vote again on If the Scottish

parliament were to vote for another independence referendum,

would you allow them to hold it? Well, I think the question is,

should there be another referendum? As far as I am concerned,

the Scottish people had their vote. They voted in 2014 and a very clear

message came through, both the United Kingdom and Scottish

Government said they would abide by Some people hope Brexit makes

independence more likely. Others want to see if this

new Prime Minister can try to satisfy the 62% of Scots

who voted to stay in the It is good she came up to see us

first instead of going abroad. I am not even a fan

but it is good that It could be a show of

solidarity with Scotland. Or it could be a kind of power game

to make her presence felt

here and assert her dominance. I think she's just trying to sweeten

us, trying to keep us all together,

trying to not let us go independent. Theresa May says Scotland can

explore different But the idea of Scotland trying

to stay in both the UK and the EU? One of her ministers today said

that is A private funeral has been held

for the Labour MP Jo Cox, who was killed last month outside

a constituency surgery Hundreds of people turned out

in the town of Batley to pay their respect,

as the funeral procession An optometrist who failed to spot

an eye condition in an eight year-old boy who later died,

has been found guilty of manslaughter through

gross negligence. Vinnie Barker suffered a fatal

build-up of fluid on the brain. He'd been examined five months

earlier by Honey Rose at a branch The prosecution said she should have

noticed the swelling. A man has been arrested on suspicion

of making a death threat to the Labour Party leadership

contender, Police say they arrested the 44

year-old man in Paisley, Renfrewshire, after an email

was sent to the account of Ms Eagle, It's day two of the

Open Championships at and the overnight leader, Phil

Mickelson, continues to dominate. After his history-equalling first

round yesterday, the American picked up where he left off,

with four birdies this morning, Time for a look at the weather.

Here's Helen Willetts. It has been rather wet in Royal

Troon. It is dry tomorrow. A rather cloudy day across the UK. You can

see the rain in Scotland and Northern Ireland moving into the

North Sea. Trips and droughts in the south. Cloudy predominantly. That is

how it will continue this evening. -- drips and droughts. Rain moving

south overnight. Windy weather in the North. We keep the McGuinness in

the South. Not just tonight Burke much of the weekend. The weather

system grinds to a halt night over northern England and much of Wales.

To the south, muggy air and cloud. Misty and murky conditions around

the coasts and the West. To the north of the weather front we have

got a drier day than today. The wind will be a feature. We have some

heavy showers coming into the north and west. The winds could touch gale

force in the north and west. That will make for an interesting day at

Royal Troon. Some muggy air in southern areas, continuing tomorrow

evening. The rain meandering its way across North Wales and Northern

Ireland. To the south of it, there could be sharp showers. We may see

temperatures into the mid-20s. After the cloud and rain of today it will

feel quite pleasant despite the breeze further north. Tomorrow

evening sees that rain petering out and trundling south. A rather cloudy

day in Scotland am a part of Northern Ireland on Sunday. Further

south, a good deal of dry weather through the Midlands and East

Anglia. Drier for North Wales and northern England. Now back to Clyde

in Nice. Thank you. There were many Britons

on holiday caught up in the chaos of last night.

I'm joined now by two eyewitnesses, Harry and Florence Coath,

Just take us through what happened. You were here. You were looking at

the fireworks having a good time Jim McGrath Yes, we were watching the

fireworks. The mood was great. Everybody was happy. Jovial. It was

ridiculous how suddenly changed and the panic set in. Before that it was

a lovely evening. Take us through that mood shift? We had started to

walk away from the seafront where the fireworks display was. Hundreds

of people around us. In about a second the atmosphere completely

changed. People started screaming. Around as people started running

away from the seafront. As you do when people around you start

running, we began to run. There were parents with children, just grabbing

them out of their buggies, shoes flying off all over the place. It

was chaos. You are running, too. Yes, we joined with the crowds

running. It felt like we were running for our lives. We did not

have a clue what was happening. We grabbed hold of each other. We

grabbed our parents as well. We ran together. We could only imagine it

was a gunman terror attack. We hadn't got a clue. We started

running and tried to get away. There were suggestions that people... That

the truck was coming from this direction and people coming from

this direction as well. You had no idea what was going on? No. We began

running a way from the trot into town. -- away. As we were going into

town, some people claim the other way and the immediate thought was,

there must be another attack happening, which was the peak in

terms of the terror. You just feel surrounded, you don't know where to

go, your time to find somewhere to hide. We ended up going down a side

street into the hotel and -- where we were safe for a while. It is that

feeling. You don't know the threat or where it is coming from. When you

eventually found out what was going on, your reaction? It was

horrifying. It came through in bits and pieces. We were calling home.

There were rumours that there might be an accomplice on the run. That

people had been taken hostage. We didn't know what to believe, whether

we were going to be safe in the hotel. Somebody said a terror --

terrorist would target the hotel. We could not believe it. What are your

thoughts on a? You came here on holiday. You have been caught up in

this horrific incident. How has it affected you? It has disrupted our

holiday but we were the lucky ones because we have got away relatively

unscathed. Trauma is comparatively light. A disruptive summer holiday

in the context of this is nothing. It nothing. We feel lucky. Did you

think you could possibly dyed? Definitely. We all thought we were

running for our lives. We did not know what was behind us. At that

moment I definitely thought I could die. Thank you very much indeed.

Three days of mourning have been declared here. It is a depressingly

familiar declaration that the president has had to make in terms

of trying to bring a country together after such a our offering

event. So it's goodbye from me -

and on BBC One we now join the BBC's