Lara Prendergast Lara Prendergast

In their own words – the Paris attacks as told by the survivors

Last night, terrorists launched a total of six coordinated attacks at high-profile sites across Paris. French prosecutors have put the current death toll at 128, with 99 critically injured.

  • There were two suicide bomb attacks at a bar near the Stade de France where President Hollande was watching the match.

One witness told the Mail:

He felt like he was ‘in a video game’. ‘There was an explosion in front of us. It was a very loud noise. At first I thought it was a bin that had been set alight. But then I thought it wasn’t a fire cracker.

‘Everyone stopped. A man was on the floor screaming. I don’t know what happened to the man. I just heard him scream and move around the floor. He wasn’t unconscious.’

As he approached the stadium door around three minutes later, a second bomb went off 15ft from where he was standing. 

He added: ‘It was a very loud noise. I’ve never heard anything like it.

Lara Prendergast
Written by
Lara Prendergast
Lara Prendergast is executive editor of The Spectator. She hosts two Spectator podcasts, The Edition and Table Talk, and edits The Spectator’s food and drink coverage.

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