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Updated: Nanaimo students safe after deadly attack in France

NANAIMO – Nanaimo school district students in Nice, France, are accounted for after dozens killed in Bastille Day truck attack.
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Terror attack in Nice

A number of Nanaimo high school students are safe following an attack in Nice, France.On Thursday afternoon, Nanaimo school district tweeted that all of the students and chaperones in Nice were accounted for and safe following a deadly attack.According to multiple media reports, more than 80 people were killed after a man drove a truck into a crowd of people celebrating Bastille Day in France on Thursday night.

Students and chaperones were in Nice as part of a two-week homestay program trip and all are safe and accounted for, said Dale Burgos, Nanaimo school district spokesman.

“As it stands right now, the principals of the schools had contacted all parents [Thursday], been in contact, chatted with them and as it stands, the next step is we contacted the Canadian consulate and the foreign crisis centre. They do know that we are out there,” said Burgos.

He said a counsellor was provided by the foreign crisis centre that had spoken with the students and staff and provided support. In addition, a trauma expert and school psychologist, who coincidentally is in France, is en route to Nice to meet with the Nanaimo contingent on Saturday morning.

Burgos said there no current plans to get students and staff to immediately return to Nanaimo.

“We're going to take the advice of the group out there, the students and the teacher chaperones, and of course we've got a counsellor out there too. Now if that is the case, or if they need more counselling, the district will be sending our own staff out there, considering there may be some language barriers with local counsellors,” said Burgos.

Burgos said the school district's last contact with the group was Friday morning.

The district is working with the Ministry of Education, Canadian Centre for Threat Assessment and Trauma Response, in addition to RCMP, Safer Schools Together, said Burgos.