Residents and tourists in Nice lay flowers, teddy bears and candles on Saturday (July 16) at memorials for the victims of the attack that killed at least 84 people on Thursday (July 14) night and plunged France into new grief and fear just eight months after gunmen killed 130 people in Paris.

A man drove a 19-tonne truck at high speed into crowds as a fireworks show to mark France's Bastille Day national holiday came to an end, zigzagging along the city's seafront Promenade des Anglais.

He was shot dead after a run of some 2 km (1.5 miles) after he opened fire from his vehicle with a pistol and French authorities are trying to determine whether the man had acted alone or with accomplices, but said the attack bore the hallmarks of Islamist militants.

Mireille, who attends the Bastille Day festivity every year, chose not to go this year and approached the memorial on Saturday morning hoping to find relief.

"I am here to leave some flowers and show my compassion and love in solidarity to all those people who lost their lives here and to all of those who are injured and who are grieving today. I am crying and I am lucky to not be grieving. But I am nonetheless grieving because it is my city, it is the people I love, it is humanity," she said.

Nice resident Sandra said she wished to go back to celebrating traditional festivities without fearing attack.

At least 10 children were among the dead. Of the scores of injured, 25 were on life support, authorities said on Friday (July 15).