By James Peters / Chad Harris

Kamloops woman describes frightening attack in Nice, France

Jul 14, 2016 | 3:53 PM

NICE, FRANCE — A large truck mowed through revelers gathered for Bastille Day fireworks in Nice, killing at least 84 people and sending people fleeing into the sea as it bore down for more than a mile along the Riviera city’s famed waterfront promenade.

The Thursday night attack on France’s national holiday rocked a nation still dealing with the aftermath of attacks in November in Paris that killed 130 and in January 2015 that killed 17. No one immediately claimed responsibility.

“All of France is under the threat of Islamic terrorists,” a sombre President Francois Hollande said on national television early Friday.

The truck plowed into the crowd over a distance of two kilometres, he said, and broadcast footage showed a scene of horror up and down the promenade, with broken bodies splayed on the asphalt, some piled near one another, others bleeding onto the roadway or twisted into unnatural shapes.

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A Kamloops woman and CFJC employee is staying just a few blocks away from where today’s attack took place.

Raffelina Sirianni is traveling with a pair of friends, and the group was just returning from a day trip to Monte Carlo when they witnessed the aftermath in the city.

“Just a few hours ago, this place was just jammed with people who were out for Bastille Day. They had parades, fireworks displays. It’s just really scary. We were told to stay indoors, so we are staying indoors. We are just kind of waiting and watching to see how things unfold at this point,” said Sirianni. 

Sirianni says the usually-bustling promenade where she is staying is completely silent, and the mayor of Nice has told everyone to stay indoors until the situation is resolved.

“It’s absolutely terrifying. We’re essentially sitting and waiting, and hoping they resolve this, and feeling just absolutely awful for the people involved. You pass these people in the streets in the day. Everybody is just having a great time in this beautiful city. The people are beautiful.” 

Sirianni says she and her friends had an uneasy feeling about the Bastille Day celebration and what it might attract, and it is terrible to see their worst fears play out.

“Interestingly enough, I am here with two other journalists, and we had discussed that very possibility today. We were a little bit nervous about actually going into Bastille Day today because we were concerned that this could possibly happen. It is absolutely terrible that this has in fact happened.” 

LISTEN: Full raw interview with Raffelina Sirianni

FURTHER READING: French official says fatalities in truck attack in Nice

— With files from The Canadian Press