PARIS, Nov. 13 (UPI) — What may be a coordinated attack involving automatic gunfire and multiple explosions struck in the heart of France on Friday evening — leaving numerous people dead and dozens more wounded, officials and witnesses said.
The attack began around 9:30 p.m. local time and involved shootings in Paris’ 10th and 11th districts, witnesses said, and at least three explosions near the nation’s national stadium, Stade de France, which lies north of Paris in Saint-Denis.
Audio of one explosion can be heard on the broadcast of the game, which was posted to Vine.
Germany and France were playing a soccer match at the stadium at the time of the blasts, where French President Francois Hollande was in attendance. He was unharmed and left the stadium to assist in the emergency response.
Leparmentier Arnaud, an editor for France’s le Monde, was at the match and tweeted a photo that showed fans on the field inside the stadium.
One of the shootings reportedly occurred at the Cambroge restaurant. Photographs from France 2 TV employee Vincent Berthézène showed bullet damage to a window and emergency personnel surrounding the scene.
USA Today reported at least 26 dead so far. Some witnesses said they saw at least two gunmen — one of whom was firing an automatic weapon, BBC News reported.
Other news media reported that gunmen had taken perhaps as many as 100 hostages at the nearby Bataclan concert hall — one of four music venues the attackers targeted, Consequence of Sound reported. The report also called Friday’s incident a “coordinated terrorist attack.”
French newspaper Liberation cited witnesses as saying perhaps more than two gunmen may have been involved in the attack. One witness told the newspaper that one gunman fired an AK-47.
This is a developing story
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