The attacks occurred Friday night as residents and tourists reveled in bars and restaurants.
Excited weekend chatter turned into panicked screams as terrorists opened fire at various sites.
One
of the targets was near a soccer match as France played world champion
Germany. Terrified fans huddled together and streamed onto the field
after the blasts . Others hugged.
At the Bataclan, a concert hall where most of the fatalities occurred, fans were listening to American rock band Eagles of Death Metal when gunfire erupted.
"People
yelled, screamed," said Julien Pearce, who was there. "It lasted for 10
minutes. Ten horrific minutes where everybody was on the floor covering
their head."
President Francois Hollande vowed to hunt down the terrorists, whom he referred to as "barbarians."
"We
will lead the fight and we will be ruthless," Hollande said. "... When
the terrorists are capable of doing such acts, they must know that they
will face a France very determined."
Six locations
Eight
terrorists are dead following the attacks on six locations in Paris and
nearby areas, prosecutor's spokeswoman Agnès Thibault-Lecuivre said.
The
prosecutor's office said it cannot confirm whether all terrorists have
been killed because it has not determined the total number of attackers.
Of the eight, seven died in suicide bombings, officials said.
The attackers targeted a concert hall, a stadium, restaurants and bars.
Concert hall
Most
of the deaths were inside the Bataclan concert hall, where a witness
said gunmen stormed in firing rifles and shouting "Allah akbar." At
least 112 people died in that attack.
"We
lay down on the floor not to get hurt. It was a huge panic," Pearce
said. "The terrorists shot at us for 10 to 15 minutes. It was a
bloodbath."
The gunmen seized hostages before French police stormed in and rescued 100 people.
Four
attackers were killed at the concert hall, including three who were
wearing explosives belts, police spokesman Michel Cadot told France
Info radio.
Michael Dorio, brother of Eagles of Death Metal drummer Julian Dorio, said he spoke to the musician after the attack.
Dorio said when his brother and his bandmates heard the gunshots, they stopped playing, took off backstage and exited.
Bars and restaurants
Charlotte Brehaut and a friend were dining at a Cambodian restaurant in Paris, she said.
"All of a sudden, we heard huge gunshots and glass coming through the windows," she said. "We ducked with the other diners."
At least 14 people were killed at the Le Petit Cambodge restaurant, authorities said.
In
addition to the Cambodian restaurant, four people were killed in the
tenth district of Paris. Four others died on Avenue de la Republique,
also in the 10th district of the French capital.
Nineteen people were killed outside La Belle Epuipe bar in the eleventh district of Paris.
Stadium
Some
explosions hit near the Stade de France outside Paris, home of the
national sports teams. Four people died in those attacks, authorities
said.
One of the blasts appears to be a suicide bombing, a Western intelligence source told CNN.
Three
suicide bombers died in the blasts. A dismembered body consistent with
the aftermath of an explosion from that type of device was found at the
scene, authorities said.
Concerns
President Barack Obama
spoke to Hollande and offered him support and condolences. The FBI and
the Department of Homeland Security are closely monitoring the
situation, but there is no credible or specific threat in the United
States, a U.S. government official said.
"The
two leaders pledged to work together, and with nations around the
world, to defeat the scourge of terrorism," the White House said in a
statement.
German
Chancellor Angela Merkel said the attackers hate freedom, and vowed her
nation will help lead the fight against terrorists.
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