HENRICO COUNTY, Va. – Henrico County Schools have confirmed 12 Mills Godwin students, 11 Godwin graduates, and one Henrico County student are safe after a truck attack that has killed at least 77 people Thursday night.
The school system said the students’ families have been contacted after the events.
At least 77 people were killed Thursday night when a large truck plowed through a crowd celebrating Bastille Day in Nice, France.
The driver pointed his tractor-trailer into the crowd and accelerated, mowing bodies over, witnesses said. Police shot the driver to death, authorities said. Nobody has claimed responsibility.
“Thank you to those who have reached out with concerns,” Henrico Schools said in a tweet.
One of those students was the 16-year-old daughter of Regina Wheat.
Wheat said her daughter had no idea anything happened until she texted her daughter to see if she was ok.
Regina Wheat
“I said hey where are you today? She said Nice and I was like oh my goodness are you OK and she was like ‘what are you talking about?’ There was an attack. They had no clue,” she said.
Wheat said her daughter and the other students were all winding down at a hotel when she got in contact with her.
“They were in the countryside and had heard sirens in the background for a good while, but they had no clue what they were in for or that anything had happened,” said Wheat.
“I've been in the verge of tears all day since I found out just,” Wheat said on her emotions. “When you are an ocean away and there is nothing you can do, it's the worst place.”
Wheat said she's comforted by the fact that security in France is going to be ramped up.
The group has been in Europe for about a week, traveling through Switzerland and France. Henrico Schools says the students have been visiting monuments, climbing mountains, and experiencing ancient ruins.
The group of students are currently still in Nice and are expected to remain in the city unless those plans change.
The summer visit was a non-school trip.
The U.S. Consulate in Marseille advised U.S. citizens in Nice, France, to call family and friends to notify them that they are safe after an attack by a truck driver that killed scores.
The Consulate said it was working with authorities to determine whether any U.S. citizens were injured.
The CNN Wire contributed to this report.
