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Paris Under Siege After Ghastly Attacks – At Least 120 Dead, State Of Emergency Declared Across France, Borders Shut [Video]

By Mohit Priyadarshi
Published on: 09:17 PST, Nov 13, 2015

Paris has been rocked by multiple shootings and explosions in different areas, killing at least 120 people while scores of people have been left injured, according to reports emerging in French media.

The attacks in Paris are being called the “worst” France has faced in the post-war era, with reports suggesting that “even at the height of the clashes linked to the Algerian civil war in the 1990s, the country had not witnessed these levels of violence.”

In total, bombings and shootings were carried out in seven locations across Paris, some of them very close to each other.

The situation was that of utter pandemonium in the city in the aftermath of the attacks, with police confirming that the death toll may continue to rise as the events unfold in the French capital.

The French paper, Libération, reported that several people were killed in one shooting in the 10th arrondissement of Paris, which lies in the eastern part of the city, an area known for its night life. A reporter confirmed that there were at least two shooters who were carrying Kalashnikovs, who may have opened fire in a bar, before escaping, according to The Guardian.

A Paris resident uploaded a video of the chaotic scenes to his twitter account. Multiple gunshots can be heard in the background.

Moreover, a second shooting took place at the Bataclan, a popular music venue about a 15 minute walk to the south. As many as 100 people were reportedly taken hostage at the Bataclan, police confirmed to AFP. However, officials later said that the police stormed the scene of the attack, reportedly killing the two gunmen.

A tweet with an image has been going the rounds on the internet, which claims to show bodies near the Bataclan, where the American band Eagles of Death Metal were playing. The band also released a statement on their Facebook page, saying they were “still trying to determine the safety and whereabouts of all our band and crew.”

Latest reports suggest that the death toll at the Bataclan could be much higher than previously believed, but these reports remain unconfirmed.

Eyewitness accounts have been speaking of “carnage” at the theater, with the two gunmen reported to have openly fired at people. Marc Coupris, 57, who was present at the Balaclan at the time it was attacked, said the entire scene was that of a “battlefield.”

“It looked like a battlefield, there was blood everywhere, there were bodies everywhere.”

Libération added that, almost simultaneously, three explosions, two of them believed to be suicide attacks, were heard in quick succession, at a bar near Stade de France, where France was playing Germany in a soccer game.

Reportedly, one explosion during the France-Germany football match was audible during the live telecast of the game.

Reports suggest that France’s president, François Hollande, was watching the match but was escorted to safety at half time. On Friday morning in Paris, the German national soccer team had to evacuate Hotel Molitor after authorities said an anonymous caller threatened that a bomb had been placed in the premises.

A video shot by soccer fans at the Stade de France was uploaded to Twitter. It read: “helicopter, pitch invaded, surreal scenes.”

Hundreds of soccer fans congregated at the pitch after the game was over, while the players were told to stay inside their dressing rooms.

A BBC journalist claimed seeing at least 10 bodies of either dead or wounded individuals lying in the street.

Eyewitness Ben Grant told the BBC that he was present in the bar when the shootings took place.

“There are lots of dead people. It’s pretty horrific to be honest. I was at the back of the bar. I couldn’t see anything. I heard gunshots. People dropped to the ground. We put a table over our heads to protect us. We were held up in the bar because there was a pile of bodies in front of us.”

Reports of a fourth attack emerged from a cafe on Rue de Charonne which was showered in gunfire, killing as many as 18 people, according to the Paris prosecutor.

Further shootings took place at Le Carillon, a bar-cafe, and the nearby Cambodian restaurant Le Petit Cambodge, which were apparently both targeted by gunmen, who killed around 14 people and left many severely injured, according to the prosecutor.

One YouTube user, named Hasbel Haber, uploaded a short clip shot on his phone on the video-sharing site, which showed several casualties and the living tending to the injured.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6pSkD5Esho

U.S. President Barack Obama released a statement, saying America will do whatever it takes to “bring these terrorists to justice.” He called the attacks an “outrageous attempt to terrorize innocent civilians,” and has reiterated that America will stand with its “oldest ally” no matter what happens.

UK Prime Minister David Cameron took to twitter in the immediate aftermath of the incident, condemning the attacks.

The latest reports emerging from the French capital confirmed that five attackers “may be” dead across the various attack locations, though it is not known how many attackers were involved and how many could still be at large.

French president François Hollande confirmed that “unprecedented terror attacks were underway in Paris,” and a state of emergency has been declared across France in the light of the violent attacks. Its borders have been shut for the first time since World War II. He said France will show no mercy in tracking down the attackers.

“It’s a horror,” he said in a televised statement to the French republic. “Two decisions will be taken: a state of emergency will be decreed which means certain places will be closed, traffic may be banned and searches may also take place throughout the Paris region. To all those who have seen these awful things, I want to say we are going to lead a war which will be pitiless.”

[Update] In an impassioned speech he made later, The French president Hollande blamed the attack on Islamic State.

Earlier in the night, The Islamic State group released an undated video where a militant can be heard saying France “will not live in peace as long as bombing continues”.

Former French Prime Minister François Fillon issued a statement on his Twitter account, saying that “war is among us.”

Paris Deputy Mayor Patrick Klugman said the attacks “could be worst ever in Paris.”

A city-wide curfew was put into effect in Paris for the first time since 1944 following the attacks, and authorities said “all of the city’s amenities,” including schools, museums, libraries, gyms, swimming pools, and markets will remain closed on Saturday.

In the aftermath of the attacks, landmarks across the world were lit red, white and blue, to honor the memory of the victims.

As of now, reports suggest that French authorities see the attacks as related to its international role in the Middle East. Reuters reported that U.S. security officials believe the attacks were coordinated, based on the reports they obtained from Paris.

In January, two gunmen attacked the Paris offices of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, killing a dozen people. Though the responsibility of those attacks were taken by Al-Qæda, even in these early stages, officials believe that the Paris attacks last night were carried out by militants belonging to the Islamic State.

[Updated]

[Photo via Eduardo Martos de Rezende / YouTube Screengrab]

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