Two American citizens were killed in the truck attack in Nice, which has left at least 84 people dead, the US State Department spokesman said today. "At this time, we are aware of and can confirm two US citizens were killed in the attack in Nice on July 14, 2016," spokesman John Kirby said. "We express our sincere condolences to the family and friends of those killed." The statement was issued as US Secretary of State John Kerry was in Moscow for talks on Syria with his Russian counterpart.

Kirby did not identify the two dead but added the United States was providing "all possible consular assistance" to its citizens.

A Texas-based newspaper, the Austin American-Statesman, reported that 51-year-old Sean Copeland and his 11-year-old son Brodie were among those killed in Nice, citing their friends and relatives.

We are heartbroken and in shock over the loss of Brodie Copeland, an amazing son and brother who lit up our lives, and Sean Copeland, a wonderful husband and father, the family said in a statement.

A gunman drove a 19-tonne truck into a crowd of people celebrating Bastille Day last night in the French Riviera city of Nice in what authorities have called a "terrorist" attack.


Image: Sean and Brodie Copeland who lost their lives in Nice last night