Videos capture Paris on edge: Karl Stefanovic caught up in panic as crowd flees from what they think are gunshots
Scores of mourners gathered at sites of Paris terror attacks on Sunday evening, but the solemn mood quickly turned into panic after what sounded like gunshots whipped across the silent night.
New videos have captured the moment Parisians paying tribute at Place de la Republique quickly fleeing after they hear sudden loud bangs, which are believed to be caused by firecrackers.
The terrifying moment that a false alarm panicked crowds at the Place de la Republique in central #Paris (Reuters) pic.twitter.com/k31qlv82e3
— Julia Macfarlane (@juliamacfarlane) November 15, 2015
A video by ITV’s “News at Ten” journalist Tom Brady, filmed in a café close to the Place de la Republique and uploaded to Facebook, also portrays the fear and uncertainty on the ground.
The idea of a city living in fear may be an old cliche, but it is certainly true of Paris tonight. We went out an hour ago to film in a cafe close to Place de la Republique with a group of young Parisians. They were just saying in the interviews that they were determined this latest series of atrocities would not deter them from going about their normal lives in their home city, when this happened;
Posted by Tom Bradby on Sunday, November 15, 2015
Brady later explained the video he posted on Facebook, saying:
Just to be clear; in my last post someone came into the restaurant and shouted 'move, move.' There was panic outside and people running past and people in the restaurant assumed a gunman was coming.
In another heartbreaking video, popular “Today” host Karl Stefanovic is preparing for a live cross outside Le Carillon bar before he too ducks and runs as the crowd behind him erupts.
The video shows Stefanovic and the camera crew being asked by French police to move away from the scene, with Stefanovic explaining that “this is how quickly things can turn on the streets of Paris at the moment.”
There were also earlier reports of gunfire in Marais, although this was a false alarm.
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