Paris Metro
Photograph ©2008 by Brian Cohen.

Breaking News: At Least 26 People Dead in Paris; Hostages Held; France Borders Closed

t least 26 people — 11 people in a restaurant in the tenth arrondissement, and 15 in the Bataclan theater — are dead in Paris, as they have been killed in shootings and explosions earlier today in what is being called the deadliest violence in France in decades; and unconfirmed reports cite as many as 60 people are now dead in the violence which has yet to be explained as to who is responsible for it and why it occurred.

According to this article written by Angela Charlton and Lori Hinnant of the Associated Press, “two explosions were heard outside the Stade de France stadium north of Paris during a France-Germany friendly football match. It is unclear if the explosions were linked to the other events.”

At least 13 people have been reported injured as a result of the violence; although there are reports that dozens of people have been wounded.

Francois Hollande — who is the president of France — was at the stadium at the time of the explosions and has reportedly been evacuated to a safer location.

The hard rock band Eagles of Death Metal were set to perform at the Bataclan theater, where reports of as many as 100 people may currently be held hostage. People inside of the theater initially thought that the gunshots were the sounds of fireworks.

Edited to add that just moments ago, a fourth attack is being reported at a shopping mall. Also, some of the main Metro stations of Paris were closed down as a result of the attacks — including the one at the Gare du Nord — according to this article written by William Branigin of The Washington Post.

People in Paris have reportedly been asked by police and authorities to remain indoors due to the uncertainty of this ongoing situation, as sirens have been heard all around Paris.

If your travel plans include France within the next few days, you may encounter some inconveniences in the form of closed streets and increased security. However, the latest news is that Francois Hollande had declared a state of emergency in an address to the nation — meaning that borders of France are now closed — so you may need to alter your travel plans. Please remain aware of your surroundings and alert as to updates of this situation…

…and please: travel safely.

I intend to cover more details on this breaking news as the story unfolds; and this article may be amended with updated information…

Photograph ©2008 by Brian Cohen.

  1. Just checked tv5monde, said that there are around 40 dead and possible cause is suicide bomber, if my French is correct …. 🙁

    1. Thank you for the update, Alex (@noviceflyer)

      …and — as you can imagine — this story is being updated every few minutes…

  2. With all due respect, BoardingArea isn’t a great source for non-aviation or lodging news, nor should it be.

    Perhaps better to touch this subject the day or two after, with travel implications, rather than trying to beat the seasoned journalists covering the breaking part of this.

    1. Although I respect your opinion — and I sincerely thank you for taking the time to post it here — I must disagree, Greg.

      I post articles such as to this one primarily for travel updates — similar to those which I post that are related to weather which potentially affects travel, such as hurricanes and snowstorms. I am not out to “beat the seasoned journalists” — but the story was indeed breaking at the time this article was posted; and travel was indeed being affected.

      The information about the news in question is added in brief to at least give a general sense for the frequent traveler who might be affected of what is happening and why; and links to news articles written by seasoned journalists have been provided for any readers who want to find out more information.

      I have already posted a new article with updates — as well as links to discussions by frequent fliers on both InsideFlyer and FlyerTalk:

      http://thegatewithbriancohen.com/at-least-120-dead-200-injured-in-paris-attacks-world-condemns-terrorists/

  3. Boarding Area is not strictly about aviation, which anyone can see by reading the various blogs. People get on planes to get from point to point. The journey may expose one to danger, including the venues that were part of the attack. In this case, the events at hand led to the closure of the borders, affecting travelers. This post is quite relevant.

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