SA to verify if citizens involved in Paris attacks
Government says it is working with the South African embassy in Paris to establish whether any South African citizens have been affected by Friday night’s terror attacks.
The Department of International Relations and Cooperation says French authorities are still busy verifying the identities of the victims, adding that so far it has not received reports of any South Africans hurt in the attacks.
Spokesperson Nelson Kgwete has again appealed to the families and friends of loved ones in Paris who are worried about their safety to contact the department.
"We'll report to the republic about any involvement or casualties involving South African citizens as in when we get the information," he said.
South Africa has added its voice to the outpouring of grief from countries around the world.
The series of coordinated explosions and shootings at six locations in Paris left 129 people dead and nearly 100 more seriously hurt.
We have been hearing from many people who survived the attacks.
Scott MacDougall, from Glasgow, was at the Stade de France when two explosions went off.
He has told Sky News he did not realise the enormity of the situation until he left the stadium.
"It is clear that there wasn't one single incident we could simply move away from. It was city wide panic. There was no way to see where it was safe - whether the metro than walking or train. It was chaos. People were running in every direction," he said.
Meanwhile, French warplanes have pounded the Islamic State group's de facto capital in Syria.
A dozen warplanes dropped 20 bombs on IS targets in the Islamists' stronghold of Raqa.
This after French president Francois Hollande vowed at the weekend that the country would take appropriate action.
"What happened yesterday in Paris and Saint-Denis near the Stade de France was an act of war, committed by a terrorist army, Islamic State," he said.
(Photo: AFP)