Thursday 25 / April / 2024
Muscat: Floral tributes were laid outside the French Embassy in Muscat as Omanis sent their love to the people of France in the wake of a truck attack that claimed 84 lives in Nice. Flowers laid at the gates of the embassy had a simple yet heartfelt message: “Stay strong. Pray for Nice. From Oman people. We love you. We love peace.”
At least 84 people died - 10 of them children - and scores more were injured when a white heavy goods truck careered through thousands of people gathered to celebrate Bastille Day in the coastal city popular with tourists from all over the world.
French, Americans, British and Australians were among the casualties. A spokesman for the French embassy said no Omanis or French expats living in Oman were currently known to be caught up in what has been labelled as a “monstrous act” by French President Francois Hollande.
The French ambassador in Oman, Roland Dubertrand said: “I am very touched, and very moved, because I see that in front of the embassy we received some flowers and messages of solidarity by the Omani people and others living in Oman, so that is really for us a mark of solidarity for France."
Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, a Tunisian reportedly living in Nice on a visa and known to French police, drove two km along the packed Promenade des Anglais in Nice, at 11pm local time, zig-zagging as he drove to mow down as many people as possible, according to witnesses. Video shows the truck moving from right to left as it careers down the road.
Police officers chased the truck on foot and the front of the vehicle he used was peppered with bullet holes. Officers shot him dead as he came to a halt and pulled out a gun, according to authorities.
The drive lasted just a few minutes but Bouhlel left 84 people dead and dozens injured, many in a critical condition and 50 of them children.
Witnesses spoke of people being told to “run away” by police as shots rang out across the promenade.
French President Francois Hollande has declared three days of mourning and extended the state of emergency, which was due to be lifted on July 26, by another three months. This is the third attack in France in less than two years, although the country’s intelligence services had no information on the driver and local reports suggest he was depressed after a marriage split.
The French ambassador said he was touched by the floral gesture and said a book of condolence would be opened at the embassy in the coming days.
The ambassador had hosted a Bastille Day celebration in Muscat just hours before the truck barrelled through the main promenade in Nice, southern France, and its driver began mowing down scores of people who had gathered for a fireworks display to commemorate Bastille Day on Thursday evening.
Dubertrand said: “Our President, François Hollande, condemns very strongly this horrific attack and he says that, as French people, we will always stand up together against terrorism and we will continue the fight, because it’s the third time now that we are being attacked in our nation territory.
“The first was in January 2015 with Charlie Hebdo and the second was in Paris in November. Now, again, more than 80 have died in Nice. Of course, the investigation is going on about the attacker and the motive and so on, but the French authority condemns this act and wants really to react and to fight against these terrorist attacks happening in France.
“It is very important because it is a difficult moment for us, and since this morning you have people who bring flowers and write messages of solidarity, so we are really very moved by these marks of solidarity by Omanis and non-Omanis.
“For the moment we have no indication that there will be family of victims from Nice in Oman, but we will investigate this because we are in contact with the French community in Oman, but for the moment, we don’t have this type of element.
“We will open a register, a book of condolences, in the embassy during the coming week.”
Other French citizens living and working in the Sultanate were appalled by the news. Philippe Da Costa, a French resident working in Oman, said: “I was really shocked when I came to know what happened in Nice. France was under strong vigilance during the European Cup but it happened on the National Day. Terrorists’ aim is to hurt our country’s values but they will never succeed. We will always defend our rights and values obtained through our long history.
“Unfortunately, these sad events start to be common and I can’t accept that for my children. Some of my Omani friends called me to apologise. I thank them but I really want to emphasise the fact that terrorists are not Muslims. Islam is a religion of love, tolerance and peace which provides good values for people. Terrorists can’t be considered as Muslims. My wishes
go to the French citizens and victims’ families.”
Melanie, a French resident who also works in Oman, said, “France is not the only country affected recently but it has really been a difficult year for our country. I am just lacking words now; I prefer to pray for the families affected. More than anger, it’s just a deep feeling of sadness and we feel helpless.”
Sophie, Rooms Division Manager at Muscat Hills Resort,says, “My heart goes out to the victims and families of this horrible incident. Bastille Day is a symbol of freedom for France and to be targeted on such a day is a great offence.”
Christian Estrosi, the mayor of Nice, told local media that about 10 children were among those killed and a further 18 have been critically injured.
Fondation Lenval, the children’s hospital in Nice, says it has treated some 50 children and adolescents, including two who died during or after surgery, the Associated Press news agency reports.
Its spokesperson Stephanie Simpson is quoted as saying the injuries included fractures and head injuries.
The French President said about 50 people were still fighting for the lives following the attack.
“About 50 people are in an absolute urgency between life and death,” Hollande said after visiting victims at a hospital in the French Riviera city.
He added that there were a lot of foreigners and children among the dead and warned that the fight against extremist groups would be long because they would continue to try to strike at Western values.
India’s ambassador to Oman, Indra Mani Pandey, said he felt “immensely pained” to learn of the attack. “My prayers are with injured and deceased people,” he added.
In January 2015, a commando murdered cartoonists at satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris, police officers and Jewish hostages. In November, suicide bombers killed 130 in a series of co-ordinated attacks in Paris.
