'Terrorists outside our balcony': Couple who watched Bastille Day carnage unfold told their daughters gunfire was fireworks - then posted a blow-by-blow of the attack online

  • A young family have told how they witnessed Nice Bastille Day carnage 
  • Sasha and Danae Goldsmith were holidaying with their little girls in Nice
  • The truck which killed dozens of people stopped just outside their flat
  • Australian couple tucked their children, 5 and 7, away in bed
  • 'Some people are putting fireworks up,' they told the two little girls 

By Daniel Piotrowski for Daily Mail Australia and Peter Allen In Paris

Published: | Updated:

Wine industry workers Sasha and Danae Goldsmith witnessed the horror of the Bastille Day attack from their one bedroom flat in Nice

Wine industry workers Sasha and Danae Goldsmith witnessed the horror of the Bastille Day attack from their one bedroom flat in Nice

A young family who witnessed the carnage of the Nice terror attack put their little girls to bed and told them the gunshots outside their apartment were fireworks.

Sasha Goldsmith, 42, and his partner Danae - who were on holiday from Australia in the south of France with their two young children, 5 and 7 - were on the balcony of their apartment building when the horror unfolded 'literally... in front of us'.

French police say at least 84 people were killed and at least 50 injured in the Bastille Day attack when attackers drove a truck along a promenade in the French city, ploughing through pedestrians more two miles until the driver was shot dead. 

Pro-ISIS groups have been celebrating the attack but as yet the terror group has not officially claimed responsibility.

The Australians, who work in the wine industry, were watching the Bastille Day celebrations from the third floor of their building when chaos broke out.

Mrs Goldsmith noticed the vehicle hurtling down the road - but knew something was wrong because it was closed to traffic. 

The sound of gunfire rang out, people ran for their lives and the couple scurried to safety indoors, locking themselves away.

'It's pretty full on,' said Mr Goldsmith, who later snapped a series of photographs of the crime scene when the situation quietened down. 

'It's just all the dead bodies. I hadn't really seen it before'.

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Mr Goldsmith snapped photographs of the crime scene from the balcony of his one bedroom flat down the road

Mr Goldsmith snapped photographs of the crime scene from the balcony of his one bedroom flat down the road

The couple had just put their young children to bed when the truck came zooming down the road at 40mph

The couple had just put their young children to bed when the truck came zooming down the road at 40mph

A man and girl embrace on the street in this photograph captured by Mr Goldsmith
A man carries a small blonde boy away from the scene

A man and girl embrace on the street (left), while a man carries a small blonde boy away from the scene (right)

The couple told their children the sounds they heard outside were from fireworks. Earlier, Mrs Goldsmith told the Nine Network's Today Show the children were oblivious to what had happened. 

'There was no cars allowed on the promenade because of the celebrations and it was all a bit weird and then I thought, s*** everyone is running so I grabbed the kids and we got down and then the gun shots all happened. It was bang, bang, bang.  

'We got them (the children) down and... told them it was fireworks. We said sometimes people put fireworks up in the crowd.

'So we just put them to bed. They haven't seen any of this, which is good.'

Mrs Goldsmith live-blogged the frightening situation on social media, first writing 'terror!' to Facebook. 

She continued: 'terroists outside our balcony...gunshots, people killed... barrackaded in apartment, truck is outside...all ok... 

'cant get out apartment... told the girls it was more fireworks... scared to go anywhere...got to get the girls away'. 

The couple were worried there could be a bomb inside the truck as police in white forensics uniforms pored over it.

They received a call from the owner of the apartment telling them to stay inside and not to go anywhere, but had not received any word from their country's embassy.    

Danae Goldsmith live-blogged the crisis from her the apartment where the young family were staying

Danae Goldsmith live-blogged the crisis from her the apartment where the young family were staying

Another witness, Marcus Freeman, recalled how he and his wife brought about 10 strangers into their hotel after chaos broke out.

'We raced into our hotel...waited for lift (longest wait of my life)...then I steered around 10 people up with us,' the Australian said.  

In the hours beforehand, he and his wife Sally-Anne had posed for happy selfies with the thousands of people who had gathered to enjoy music and fireworks.  

'Very sad and cannot believe this has happened...' Mr Freeman wrote on Facebook. 

'I commented earlier in the night how everyone was so happy and well behaved...such a great feel to the place. 

'Words cannot describe this tragedy!' 

Happy celebrations: In the hours before the carnage, Australian Marcus Freeman and wife Sally Anne posed for selfies in the crowd and enjoyed live music

Happy celebrations: In the hours before the carnage, Australian Marcus Freeman and wife Sally Anne posed for selfies in the crowd and enjoyed live music

Firework show: Mr Freeman said the atmosphere before the terror attack was 'so happy and well behaved'

Firework show: Mr Freeman said the atmosphere before the terror attack was 'so happy and well behaved'

He captured pictures of throngs of people on the street following the fireworks show - before the carnage

He captured pictures of throngs of people on the street following the fireworks show - before the carnage

Guns and grenades were later said to have been found inside the truck, which mounted the pavement at approximately 40mph.  

It steered directly towards the hundreds of people who had been out on the street watching a fireworks display and listening to music. 

One eyewitness described seeing 'bodies flying like bowling pins' and 'hearing noises, cries that I will never forget' as the horror unfolded on a busy promenade at around 10.30pm last night. 

The truck driver was said to have shouted 'Allahu Akbar' — God is greatest — before being shot dead by police. 

The gunman jumped out of the truck after ploughing through the pedestrians and began opening fire, eyewitnesses said. 

Officials said the driver was shot dead near the scene. A second suspect was thought to be on the run.

Roadblock: Survivors and witnesses seen from the Goldsmiths' apartment balcony in Nice

Roadblock: Survivors and witnesses seen from the Goldsmiths' apartment balcony in Nice

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