A flight from France returned to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport hours after Thursday’s deadly attack during a Bastille Day fireworks celebration.
Travelers getting off the flight and their loved ones waiting on them in Atlanta told Channel 2 Action News they couldn’t understand the attack in Nice, France, which killed 84 people, including two Americans.
It happened on a national holiday in France similar to Fourth of July. Bastille Day is the day revolutionaries stormed a fortress used as a prison for wealthy felons and spies in 1789.
On the 227th anniversary Thursday, a truck drove more than a mile through the Promenade des Anglais, the Riviera city's noted waterfront promenade, according to media reports. Georgia Tech student Brendan Phillips, who was in France at the time, said he heard yelling and screaming before police rushed to the area.
American Sean Copeland, 51, and his 11-year-old son were among those killed in the attack, Copeland's niece Alyssa Weaver said on Twitter.
“I am asking for prayers for my family, due to the tragedy in Nice, France I lost my uncle Sean and my 11 year old cousin Brodie I ask for prayers for my aunt Kim and my two other cousins Maegan and Austin during this tough time and prayers for my family’s safe trip back home #CopelandStrong.”
The incident didn’t lead to increased security early Friday at Atlanta’s airport, Channel 2 reported.
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