Nice attack: Motorcyclist died as he tried to use bike to stop Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel during massacre

Eyewitnesses described how the man drove slowly up to the side of the lorry and tried to stop it as it began its rampage

(Reuters)

A heroic motorcyclist died as he tried to use his bike to stop the Nice attacker, a journalist has said.

As the killer drove a lorry down a packed Nice promenade in an attack that would kill at least 84 people, a person on a motorcycle attempted to stop him and ended up giving his own life to do so, according to holidaying German journalist Richard Gutjahr.

Mr Gutjahr said that he could hear angry shouts outside of the place he was staying, and looked out to see the large white truck moving slowly down the road, despite the fact that it was supposed to have been blocked off for the party.

He told the BBC: "All of a sudden, with all the people, all the families celebrating, this truck was approaching and it was approaching very slowly so it didn't really rush but you could ask yourself 'What is a truck doing in the heart of this?"

He then saw a motorcyclist attempt to stop the lorry before being run over, before police officers tried to shoot the driver in an attempt to stop him. It was at that point that he realised the lorry was being deliberately driven down the road to kill people, he said.

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"From that moment on the rampage took place. The vehicle accelerated and ran in a very odd way right in the middle of the crowd," he said.

"The panic really kicked in when the gunshots were shot and it went on for 15-20 seconds of gunfire from several guns. That was the moment when everyone understood that it was not just an ordinary accident."

Other eyewitnesses have described how a man did make it into the cab of the lorry and helped to subdue its driver.