A message from Promenade des Anglais

I woke up this morning to the terrible news from Nice. Our minds immediately went to some friends we have known for more than 30 years.

After a globe-trotting working life L&R had retired to France.

Nice to be precise. Promenade des Anglais to be even more preciser (Ed. Is that a word?)

We looked at each other - do you think they are OK. I know, I said, I'll email them.

On opening my mail app, this was top of the list:

Hi guys. We're ok. We were on the balcony watching the fireworks.

Had just turned away to go inside when we heard screaming and 20-40 gun shots. We went back out and there were 30-40 bodies just lying motionless 30 metres below us and along the Prom.

Our door to the street was hit with one of the bullets and a guy who had been sitting there at the cafe below us was lying bleeding and injured.

The local hotel staff had rushed out with white bed sheets and they covered the bodies of the (obviously) dead men women and children. Horrific.

We were blocked in by a police cordon. 30-40 ambulances ferrying injured to local hospitals. They've all been working all night trying to forensically record/analyse it all. Last few bodies only now (6am) being taken away. It was all families. Horrific.

Total random chance we weren't in amongst the crowd like we were for the last 3-5 years.

The police were truly stupendous. Fast, brave and assertive. Thank God they managed to shoot the driver. 

Their quick thinking in shooting him (they only had about 30 seconds to decide, I'd say) "saved" HUNDREDS of lives, I'd say, as the crowd just 50 metres further on was solid.

The animals that did this have no religion.