Update: Truck rams into crowd on Bastille Day, killing 84 in Nice

UPDATE 16:00 p.m. AEST: The death toll in Nice City has risen to 84, according to French Interior Ministry spokesman Pierre-Henry Brande.

Authorities are yet to identify the fatalities, some of whom were children, who perished after a 19-tonne truck ploughed into a crowd of revellers celebrating July 14th French National Day. The terrorist attack happened shortly after the beachfront fireworks display at the Promenade des Anglaison Thursday evening.

At least 18 people remains in critical condition, while the identity of the slain truck driver remains unknown. Various media outlets reported that authorities found identity papers belonging to a 31-year-old French-Tunisian citizen on the truck. Authorities have yet to name the truck driver but French police already traced his criminal records for theft and violence.

Initial reports reveal that the terrorist drove the truck into the Bastille Day revellers for two kilometres, killing people on the vehicle's path. He also fired a pistol aimed at the crowd before being neutralised by the police.

Meanwhile, social media site Facebook has activated its Safety Check feature to help authorities and civilians to trace casualties.

Original Story

What was supposed to be a night of celebration to honour the French National Day turned out to be a night of terror as 77 people died in Nice, France, on Thursday evening.

According to Nice City Mayor Christian Estrosi, a white truck crashed into a crowd celebrating Bastille Day at the Promenade des Anglais at 22:30 local time and killed at tens of people right after the fireworks display. Estrosi's latest tweet puts the death toll at 77.

His earlier announcements on Twitter translates to: "Tonight at 22:30, a crazy truck drove at high speed on the crowd gathered on the Promenade to watch the fireworks July 14. This is the worst in the history of Nice, for more than 70 victims have already been reported."

French authorities are yet to announce the latest death toll. In the meantime, Estrosi, who was also present on site and tweeted photos of the fireworks, urged his constituents to remain calm and indoors. The mayor's appeal on the microblogging site reads: "Dear people of Nice, the driver of a truck seems to have left dozens dead. Stay for now in your home. More info to come."

Various outlets, meanwhile, reported that at least 100 others were injured at the beachfront tourist spot located 930 kilometres from the French capital in Paris.

Citing a witness, the Telegraph reported that the incident happened just after the fireworks display held at the popular tourist spot.

“We were at the Neptune beach and a firework display had just finished. That is when we saw a white lorry. It was going quickly at 60-70 kilometres an hour,” a witness named Antoine told the paper.

The unidentified truck driver was reportedly shot dead after the incident, according to French television station BFMTV. French authorities have yet to announce the identity of the casualties while residents were urged to stay indoors while emergency operations are in progress.