A Dunedin man witnessed the carnage as the truck which mowed down and killed at least 84 people in Nice passed within metres of him.
A Dunedin man, who works at a restaurant in Nice with his French girlfriend, was among the crowds celebrating Bastille Day on Promenade des Anglais and about 30m away from where the truck sped past.
The 25-tonne truck was driven by a 31-year-old Tunisian man who opened fire before police shot him dead.
"It came to a stop very close to our apartment and workplace."
"The windshield [was] riddled with bullets.
"There were bodies just all along the promenade for at least a 2km stretch. It smashed into the crowd and you could see people bouncing off.
"It was just horrific.
"People at first were stunned and then began to run as police eventually opened fire on the man inside the truck and everyone just ran as police told everyone to get out.''
He said in the immediate aftermath everyone was frightened it was a suicide attack and the truck was going to explode.
After helping an elderly couple, he went straight to the restaurant where his girlfriend was working to make sure she knew he was safe and then contacted friends and family to let them know he was unharmed.
Before the horrific scenes unfolded, he was enjoying France's national day with crowds of other revellers.
"I had been enjoying a few beers on my night off and watching the fireworks for Bastille Day, which were right down on the beach.''
It was difficult to say how he felt about continuing to live in Nice so soon after the attack, but his "first instincts'' left him apprehensive.
He would let it "sink in further over the next few weeks'' before coming to a decision.
"It's such an amazing country, with such a rich culture.
"It's very sad what happened today and in Paris.''
He was heading back to work yesterday, but given the restaurant was so close to the scene of the attack, he expected it would be a quiet shift.
● Prime Minister John Key has passed on his condolences to the President and Prime Minister of France.
Attacking innocent people celebrating their national day made it "particularly horrific'', Mr Key said.
In earlier discussions, Mr Key and President Francois Hollande affirmed the joint commitment of New Zealand and France to the international campaign against terrorism.
