A series of attacks targeting young concert-goers, soccer fans and Parisians enjoying a Friday night out at popular nightspots killed at least 129 people in the deadliest violence to strike France since World War II.
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Renowned sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik created a sand sculpture on the terrorist attack in Paris with a message ” stop terrorism, pray for Paris victims” in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
In an interview, Sudarshan said that he strongly condemns terrorism in all forms and his prayers are with the families who lost their loved ones in the attack.
President Francois Hollande condemned it as terrorism and pledged that France would stand firm against its foes. The worst carnage was at a concert hall hosting an American rock band, where scores of people were held hostage and attackers ended the standoff by detonating explosive belts.
Police who stormed the building, killing at least three attackers, encountered a bloody scene of horror inside. Paris Prosecutor Francois Molins said as many as five attackers were killed, though it was not clear how many there were altogether and how many, if any, were still at large.
The attack unfolded with two suicide bombings and an explosion outside the national stadium during a soccer match between the French and German national teams. Within minutes, according to Paris police chief Michel Cadot, another group of attackers sprayed cafes outside the concert hall with machine gunfire, then stormed inside and opened fire on the panicked audience. As police closed in, they detonated explosive belts, killing themselves.
(With Agency Inputs)