Dozens of Aussies, many of them students, have been caught up in the Nice attack

FOREIGN Minister Julie Bishop has confirmed that three Australians have been injured fleeing the Nice truck attack.

Ambulances and police cars at the French resort city of Nice where a truck ploughed through a crowd of revellers, killings dozens and injuring scores more. Picture: AP

FOREIGN Minister Julie Bishop has confirmed that three Australians were injured fleeing the Nice truck attack that killed at least 80 people.

“They have suffered minor injuries, seeking to flee the scene, to get away from the scene,” she said this afternoon.

“We are working to provide consular assistance to all three.”

Ms Bishop gave no further details of those hurt but it has been reported that one is a teenager who has been hospitalised with a leg wound.

Another is believed to be a woman on a Topdeck tour who is expected to recover fully, The Daily Telegraph reports.

Topdeck global general manager Sarah Clark confirmed one of the organisation’s customers had been injured.

“We are extremely saddened at the tragic event which has unfolded in Nice this morning and our thoughts are with those who have been affected,” she told the Telegraph

“As of 02.30 local time, all of our customers are safe and accounted for. Unfortunately one of our customers has reported some minor injuries. They are with Topdeck staff and are currently being tended to in hospital.

“Our family liaison team has been in direct contact with the injured customer’s family and we are ensuring the best care possible.”

Ambulances line up near the scene of the truck attack in the French resort city of Nice. Picture: Claude Paris

Ms Bishop said the attack had “rocked France to its core”.

“Once again, we stand resolutely with the people of France at this time,” she said. “And extend our deepest sympathies to the victims, the families and friends and the people of France.

“Our embassy in Paris is in very close contact with the French authorities and is working closely with the French crisis centre.

“Our Canberra crisis centre is in direct contact with the French crisis centre.”

“The state of emergency that had been put in place in France as a result of the 13 November 2015 attacks was to come to an end on 31 July, but that state of emergency has now been extended,” she said.”This means that an additional 10,000 police and army personnel will continue to be on the highest level of alert in Paris and across France.

‘WORDS CANNOT DESCRIBE THIS TRAGEDY’

Aussie Marcus Freeman captured the moment before a weapon-laden truck ploughed into a crowd of revellers celebrating Bastille Day.

Mr Freeman posted a series of photographs to Facebook showing packed streets in the resort city just before the attack.

“My internet is sketchy, but devastating to see that over 70 people were killed and the truck was full of guns. (We are currently in lockdown and safe.),” Mr Freeman wrote.

“The photos below were not long before we were all running for our lives. Words cannot describe the fear ... we collected 10 x people from the street and brought them into our hotel.

“Very sad and cannot believe this has happened ... I commented earlier in the night how everyone was so happy and well behaved ... such a great feel to the place. Words cannot describe this tragedy!”

At least 80 people, many of them children, have been confirmed dead in the attack and more than 100 — including three Australians — have been injured.

Earlier, a young Australian student caught up in the Nice attack described how chaos broke out after a truck ploughed into the crowd, killing at least 70 people.

Marcus Freeman with wife Sally-Anne

Moments after he took this picture, Australians Marcus Freeman and wife Sally-Anne were running for their lives

Rhys Lawry, a 23-year-old web developer, is one of 27 Australian students attending the 2016 European Innovation Academy in Nice, France.

Twenty are from Melbourne, including four representing the University of Melbourne, and at least two are from Sydney.

The attack in the southern French city interrupted Bastille Day celebrations, with a spokesman for France’s Interior Ministry saying “it’s going to be a very high toll”.

“We were there on the beach watching the fireworks and then suddenly everyone started running and there was a massive stampede,” Mr Lawry told News.com.au

“We heard the screams, people screaming and everyone was running in one direction. We thought we’d better start running too and it just got faster and faster and you’ve just got this panic.

“There were just hundreds of people running and it became a massive stampede. The cops were yelling, ‘Run! Run! Keep going!’

“I tried to film the stampede but it just got too much. I’m back at my residence now and I’ve got a couple of students from the University of Berkeley who are going to stay here rather than try and make their way back to their residences.

“We have heard the cafes and restaurants are taking people in from the streets and locking the doors and taxi drivers are driving people around for free.

“I just can’t believe it’s happened here. I mean, Nice is such a sleepy, tourist town. You would never think anything like that could happen here. My mum was worried about me coming, about something like this happening.”

A still from video of the stampede taken by Australian student Rhys Lawry

Rhys recently graduated from the University of Melbourne

The group of 22 Aussies are among 400 students from around the world in Nice to take part in the program. Mr Lawry said organisers were frantically trying to track down all the attendees and had learned that four students had been injured — none of them Australian.

Mr Lawry said he was trying to track down everybody in his group to make sure they were safe.

The Australian students he personally knows are safe are Tejas Cherukara, Shazia Ruybal, Nicholas Moignard and Dan Schwartz.

Meanwhile, 22-year-old Australian Bridget de Jong has told of seeing “bodies on the street”.

“We saw people running towards us along the promenade saying don’t go back there, there’s been an accident, there’s been a shooting,” the terrified Sydneysider told the Today Show.

“There are people everywhere and there’s lots of ambulance, police officers, army. We’ve seen a few sort of bodies along the street.

“They’ve set up a temporary hospitals in a nightclub and the police have arrived to barricade everything off.”

Ms de Jong said her and her friend were unable to get back to their hotel.

“We knocked on a restaurant door and they wouldn’t let us in. So, right now my friend and I, we’re sort of huddled in a side street.”

Crowds flee the scene of the attack. Picture: Instagram

Police officers carry out checks on vehicles in the centre of the French Riviera town of Nice. Picture: Valery Hache

Australian journalist Emily Watkins said she was less than 50 metres away from the incident and saw the truck on the promenade but did not realise what was happening.

“There was a lot of confusion. I don’t actually remember seeing the truck moving,” she told the ABC.

“There was a lot of screams coming from ahead of us where the truck was, and people just running towards us and without really knowing what was going on we turned and ran as well.

“As we were running away we could hear what I thought at the time were more flares or fireworks.

“People were tripping over and trying to get into hotel lobbies and restaurants or car parks or anywhere they could to get away from the street.”

Ms Watkins’ partner David Cody, an ABC producer, said: “People were tripping over in the commotion, there was a lot of panic.

“People were trying to get into hotels, any businesses that were open, trying to take shelter, because it was unclear what was happening.

“With each bang that we heard behind us, people perhaps started to go a bit faster, people were tripping over, it was a very chaotic scene.” Earlier in the evening, as the crowds enjoyed the fireworks, lightning had flashed in the skies above the Riviera resort.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has released a statement saying it is working to track down Australians in Nice.

“The Australian Embassy in Paris is making urgent enquiries to determine whether any Australians have been affected by the incident at the Bastille Day celebration in Nice, France,” the statement said.

“If you have any concerns for the welfare of family and friends in the region you should attempt to contact them directly.”

Australians worried about the welfare of loved ones in Nice can call DFAT’s 24 hour Consular Emergency Centre on 1300 555 135 or [phone] if calling from overseas.