The death toll has continued to rise as reports pour in about the attacks, which also include a series of what appear to be suicide bombings, and a shooting near a Paris soccer stadium, according to the Associated Press.
BREAKING: French police official confirms 2 suicide attacks, 1 bombing near Paris stadium.
— The Associated Press (@AP) November 13, 2015
Shots could be heard at the Bataclan center where the Eagles of Death Metal were in the midst of playing. According to Riffyou.com, most of the band members fled and are with Paris police, though the site claims guitarist David Katching is still unaccounted for. Consequence of Sound has reported that member Josh Homme, who also fronts Queens of the Stone Age, was not among the band members as he did not join EOD on their European tour, though we’ve been unable to confirm. We do know there are at least some band and crew members missing, as noted by the band’s official Twitter account.
pic.twitter.com/LghFAsiiV9 — EaglesOfDeathMetal (@EODMofficial) November 13, 2015
Elsewhere around Paris, there has been chaos as police have attempted to contain the situation, with reports flying off the shelf on Twitter. It’s been reported by BNO News that French President Hollande has assured Parisians that the military will be intervening “to ensure that no other attacks take place.”
French President Hollande: “I have requested military reinforcements to ensure no other attacks can take place” https://t.co/oPcKAQxWD0 — BNO News (@BNONews) November 13, 2015
Meanwhile, it seems that the hostage situation continues to worsen. CNN reported that there were as many as six and perhaps eight hostage takers in the Bataclan, and that French police were shooting from the rooftops. While it was first reported that there were around 15 dead in the Bataclan attack, CNN later estimated that as many as 100 or more hostages were killed in that attack alone, while as many as 40 may have been killed in the other attacks. The story is extremely fluid, and France has declared a state of emergency, meaning the French borders have been closed. President Obama made a response today, saying:
“This is an attack not just on Paris, it’s an attack not just on the people of France, but this is an attack on all of humanity and the universal values that we share. We stand prepared and ready to provide whatever assistance that the government and the people of France need to respond …We want to be very clear that we stand together with them in the fight against terrorism, and extremism.”
This story is still developing, and we will update when we know more.
Updated 11/13/2015 at 5:15 PM: This post was updated to include news from CNN that as many as 100 or more people may have been killed in the Bataclan attack alone. We’ve also added a tweet from the band, stating that not all the members of the band and crew are yet accounted for.
