PARIS, France (AFP) — At least 84 people were killed in the French Riviera city of Nice when a man rammed a truck through a crowd celebrating Bastille Day Thursday.– Celebration becomes catastrophe –– ‘Appears to have killed dozens’ –– Children among the dead –– Three days of mourning –

This is a timeline of the attack that French President Francois Hollande has declared was of “an undeniable terrorist nature.”

– Just before 11 pm local time (2100 GMT), a white, 19-tonne lorry roars down the Promenade des Anglais walkway in Nice, capital of France’s Cote d’Azur. Thousands of people had massed there to watch fireworks for France’s national day celebrations.

– The driver runs over adults and children along a two-kilometre (1.3-mile) path, swerving from the broad footpath back into the street to hit victims near landmarks that included Art Deco casinos and the Hotel Negresco.

“We saw people hit and bits of debris flying around,” said an AFP reporter who witnessed the truck drive into the crowd. He described scenes of “absolute chaos”.

– Just before midnight (2200 GMT), Nice’s regional head Christian Estrosi says on Twitter: “The driver of a van appears to have killed dozens. Stay in your homes for now. More info to follow.” The attacker fires several shots before being killed by police gunfire.

– The truck finally comes to a halt near the Palais de la Mediterranee, a luxury hotel complex.

– Police and soldiers lock down the scene and other parts of Nice, and witnesses are escorted from the scene with their hands over their heads.

– Investigators recover ID papers from the truck and later say the driver is Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, a 31-year-old Tunisian man with a record of criminal offences, but who was “totally unknown” to French intelligence services.

– Just before 4 am (0200 GMT) on Friday, Hollande addresses the nation, saying the attack was of an “undeniable terrorist nature”, and confirms that several children were among the dead.

– Hollande announces that a national state of emergency that was to have been lifted on July 26 will now be extended for three more months.

– At 7:30 am (0530 GMT) the interior ministry raises the casualty toll to at least 84 dead, along with 18 people in critical condition and about 50 others with less serious injuries.

– Messages pour in from global leaders including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US President Barack Obama, while Sunni Islam’s leading seat of learning Al-Azhar condemns the attack, urging unity to “rid the world” of “terrorism”.

– Hollande decrees a three-day period of national mourning to begin on Saturday.

– Hollande visits Nice, where he says “there are French among the victims and also many foreigners from every continent and many children, young children”.

– The wife of the man believed to have perpetrated the truck attack is held by police for questioning.

– Anti-terror prosecutor Francois Molins says 84 are dead, 202 are injured, “of which 10 were children and adolescents”.

– From Friday, the Eiffel Tower is again to be lit in France’s national colours in tribute to the victims of the attack.