The night in Nice - a photographer and his photos

This truck's deadly drive through a crowd in the southern French city of Nice ended with a windshield riddled with bullets. Media reports said the truck contained ID papers from a 31-year-old Frenchman with Tunisian roots.

It was chaotic for hours after the attack on the streets of Nice, a normally beautiful city on the French Mediterranean coast. Rescue workers raced to treat survivors, while authorities focused on investigating what happened - and how it happened.

Shortly after 11 p.m. local time, local newspaper Nice Matin reported that a truck had driven into a crowd. Over the course of the next few hours more reports and social media posts showed the deadly scene. By 1 a.m. the death toll had already reached 60, including many children.

Survivors lift their arms to show they do not pose a threat. Currently, police believe the perpetrator was working alone, but it could be some time until authorities have identified the man who drove the van and what may have motivated him.

Rescue personnel painted a horrifying picture of the scene, describing a street littered with bodies. Many of the injured were in critical condition on Friday.

Photographer Valery Hache had actually been planning to take pictures of the fireworks and Bastille Day celebrations. Those were the very first pictures his news agency published. But shortly after the first fireworks, the subject of his photos drastically changed.

First police took to the streets of Nice, then the soldiers took over. French President Francois Hollande extended the country's state of emergency by three months. Meanwhile, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve made a clear statement, "We are at war with terrorists who want to strike us at any price and in a very violent way."