The past few weeks the news has been slammed with stories of sadness and fear, leaving families and friends mourning the loss of their loved ones whose lives have been taken too soon. It is absolutely heartbreaking to see a world full of hatred and anger towards one another.
On July 14, families all across France came out to celebrate Bastille Day, a national holiday in France to celebrate the unity of the people of France during the French revolution. What should have been a night of celebration, laughter, and good memories ended in absolute horror when a lorry driver drove through a crowd of people in Nice France. Eighty-four lives have been lost, 10 of which were children and including two Americans; a father and son from Texas. A total of 303 people have been brought into the hospital following the attacks, 121 remain in the hospital, 26 of them are still in intensive care.
ISIL claimed responsibility for the attack Saturday morning, July 16. Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel was the man drive the truck and was shot to death by the police. Bouhlel was born in Tunisia and was a Nice resident. There is no clear motive behind the attack yet. Five people have been taken into custody that are believed to be linked to the attack, one of them being Bouhlel’s ex-wife.
I studied abroad in Florence, Italy this past spring semester. I took a weekend trip to Nice and instantly fell in love; it is one of my favorite cities that I visited. It’s hard to believe that I walked along the same streets where innocent lives were taken. I remember walking the Promenade des Anglais and soaking up the beauty of the sea and the architecture of Nice. The culture, the beauty of the city, atmosphere and the people is what makes Nice such an amazing city. It heartbreaking to see a city with a colorful and vibrate life to experience such a tragedy.
Pray of the people of Nice, France, pray for the world and pray for peace.
