It took possibly just 15 minutes for a man to carry out a deadly attack that killed at least 84 people, and injured more than 400 in the French city of Nice on July 14, 2016. But, the impact stayed for a long time among the residents of France as the victims struggle to return to normalcy.
Around 10:30 on the evening of July 14, 2016, Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, 31, intentionally drove a 19-ton rental truck at high speed onto the sidewalk of the Promenade des Anglais and careened into crowds as they were leaving the annual fireworks marking mark France's Bastille Day. According to reports, there were 37 foreigners from 19 countries; about a third of those killed were Muslim.
On Friday, thousands gathered in the Mediterranean city of Nice, France, to commemorate the death anniversary of those 86 victims, who were killed one year ago. Preparations have been underway for the commemoration and rehearsals took place for a military parade in a central square. However, there were no fireworks along the beach promenade during the commemoration, as is the tradition on Bastille Day.
President Emmanuel Macron was present in the evening concert to express the sorrow still felt by all the Nice residents. Macron paid his respects at a special memorial ceremony outside of Nice's Place Massena, just a few yards away from the Promenade des Anglais. Earlier, the citizens were handed some 12,000 plaques, which were colored in blue, white and red, to place on the seaside boulevard. When they finished, it spelt out the French slogan: "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity."
However, amid all these commemoration event, the question remains the same: are the citizens of the country safe now? Nearly 3,000 family members and people, who witnessed the attack, are still in psychiatric treatment. It includes many children, who can only slowly process the shock they experienced. Reports said that the survivors still suffer from sleep disorders and panic attacks.
Many people have turned down the invitation from President Macron to attend the memorial events, while for some, this was the first chance they've had to return to the Boulevard des Anglais.
"In the last few weeks, we've had contact with many of those affected, in preparation for the memorial events on July 14. We spoke with 70 people, and three told us that they wouldn't find it helpful to meet the president," Sophia Seco from FENVAC, an organization representing the victims, told DW, an online website.
Meanwhile, many of the victim families are still not happy with the government over the slow pace of victim compensation. According to reports, only 25 of the promised 300 million euros ($342 million) have been paid out. In this gallery, IBTimes Singapore has compiled a series of images of the commemoration event.
