Nice attack: Here is what we know about the victims

July 16 2016

Marika Dobbin and Nick Toscano

An 11-year-old American boy on holiday with his family was among the first publicly known victims, who came from all parts of the world, of a suspected terror attack on crowds celebrating Bastille Day in France.

There were many families gathered on the Nice waterfront to watch a fireworks display for the French national holiday, which is why there was a high number of child victims. Ten children are counted among the 84 dead, French officials said on Friday. As many as a half of the more than 100 people injured in the tragedy were children.

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Nice attack: Tributes for the victims

Social and world media react to the Bastille Day attack in Nice, France.

The truck tore through just as the fireworks were finishing, at about 10.30pm.

Among those killed were Brodie Copeland and his father Sean who were on holiday from their home in the US state of Texas, according to NBC. Brodie played youth baseball and his father was a coach.

Hill Country Baseball posted a tribute to the pair on its Facebook page, along with a photo of Brodie taken on his Riviera trip.

"We are heartbroken and in shock over the loss of Brodie Copeland, an amazing son and brother who lit up our lives, and Sean Copeland, a wonderful husband and father," the family said in a statement distributed by friend Jess Davis. "They are so loved."

Stephanie Simpson, the communications director of the Foundation Lenval children's hospital, told Associated Press that the child victims were admitted with injuries including fractures and head injuries.

"Some are still life and death," she said.

The Berlin school board have told broadcaster RBB that a teacher and two students from the Paula-Fürst-Gemeinschaftsschule in Charlottenburg, who were on a trip to celebrate the end of their final year exams, died in the attack.

+++ Schulaufsicht bestätigt: Drei Teilnehmer einer Abi-Fahrt aus #Berlin bei Anschlag in #Nizza getötet. https://t.co/mT4AYtEuuS
— rbb|24 (@rbb24) July 15, 2016

One of the first victims killed in the rampage was Fatima Charrihi, a Muslim woman, a mother of seven and resident of the southern coastal city.

Her son, Hamza, quoted in L'Express newspaper, said she had died almost instantly as the truck, wheeled into the massed crowds on Bastille Day. Tearful and red-eyed, Hamza, 28, praised his slain mother and her faith: "She was an extraordinary mother," he said. "She wore the veil, she practiced an Islam of the middle ground. A true Islam. Not that of the terrorists." It's not clear from reports whether the Charrihi family, which is originally from Morocco, lost any more relatives in the rampage.

Her husband, Ahmed, told the newspaper that he had been some 50 metres in front of her when the truck plowed into the crowd, "smashing things to pieces."

"She was with her nieces and nephews. My brother tried to revive her. But she died on the spot, doctors told us," Hamza said.

Fatima Charrihi Photo: L'Express

A Swiss woman named Linda Casanova was also confirmed as among the dead by her family.

The 54-year-old customs expert from Agno Ticino, an Italian-speaking region, was confirmed dead by her brother Ivano Casanova.

A 21-year-old Russian student was identified late on Friday as another victim of the attack.

Victoria Savchenko was walking in Nice with a friend, Polina, Serebryannikova, 22, after the pair had watched the Bastille Day celebrations, when the truck swerved towards them.

Ms Serebryannikova, who was badly injured but survived the ordeal, told Russian media that Ms Savchenko was killed instantly.

Victoria Savchenko Photo: Facebook

Francis and Christiane Locatelli, 82 and 78, died alongside their grandson, 28-year-old economics professor Michael Pellegrini and his mother, kindergarten assistant Veronique Lion, 55.

27-year-old Parisian Timothy Fournier died in efforts to save his pregnant wife, along with Robert Marchand, a 60-year old originally from Marcigny in rural eastern France, and senior border police officer Emmanuel Grout, 48, who was watching the fireworks display with his family.

The latest nationality count of victims now stands at three Germans, two Estonians, two Americans, one Russian, one Armenian, one Ukrainian, one Swiss and one Moroccan. Figures for French and Belgian victims are still being confirmed.

With Agencies, The Washington Post