Nice attack: Dubai expat has narrow escape in terror ordeal

Date

7/17/2016 2:37:52 AM

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)

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French-Syrian expat Rebia Naim, Director of the International Emerging Artist Award in the UAE, told Khaleej Times that she escaped a few minutes before the incident happened while in Nice with her husband and two children, aged two and five.

She had been on her way to meet the awards Emirati and international winners in Germany, but missed a flight and had to stay back in Nice.

We were on the promenade having a good time, Naim said. It was jam-packed with families, tourists. The promenadae was closed to cars then, and we were waiting for the fireworks to start, and there were five street concert stations along the promenade.

For some reason, we felt uneasy. A sort of gut feeling. We saw five military (security officers) roaming around, and were joking that this wouldnt be enough if there was a terror attack, she added. We kept comparing it with the secure standards in Dubai.

After dinner, Naim says her family began walking along the promenade and waiting for the fireworks, at about 9.45pm.

My son started to get really cranky and we werent sure what to do: stay or leave. He got stuck on the toy cart that was right in the middle of the promenade, playing with the bubble gun, she remembered. That was another 15 minutes wasted. When we thought it was time to make a move, my son threw a big tantrum. I carried him away and started to walk back to the side street. He kept crying and halfway there, my husband asked me to go back and get him the bubble gun.

I walked back alone this time and bought the toy, she added. Thats the moment she heard people shouting run, run, run.

Naim pointed out that the situation was chaotic and confusing as people rushed to escape.

One (person) said its a bomb. Others were shouting that someone is shooting. They just asked us to run to a safe place. I was able to jump back into the side street we came from, and our holiday apartment was about 500 metres from there, she said. We were quite at the end of the trucks journey, but didnt quite understand what was going on until we heard it in the news. We were all in shock.

We were very lucky, Naim added.

Bernd Debusmann Jr. Originally from Mexico City, I've been in Dubai since January 2015. Before arriving in in the UAE I worked as a general news reporter in TV and print in Mexico City, NYC and Washington DC. I'm interested in defence issues, politics, technology, aviation and history. In my spare time i enjoy traveling and football - I'm a keen fan of Chelsea FC. I developed an interest in the Middle East traveling through Jordan and the West Bank. I have a BA in Political Science from Dickinson College in the USA and an MA in International Journalism from City University London.

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