Two dead, others injured by Bastille fireworks in France
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Prosecutors confirm a manslaughter investigation has been opened.
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Vigil at the Promenade des Anglais as people mourn in Nice, France, on July 16, 2016, after a terror attack killed 86 people (UPI)
Two people, a 7-year-old boy and his 24-year-old sister, were killed during the July 14 fireworks Thursday evening in Cholet (Maine-et-Loire), the public prosecutor of Angers, Éric Bouillard, reported, confirming information from local media.
A third person was injured following a "shooting incident" during the fireworks display shortly after 11 pm.
The boy and his sister were watching the fireworks with other members of their family and were "about fifty meters from the launch pad" when the accident occurred "around 11:10 p.m. on the stabilized ground next to the Cholet stadium," according to Bouillard.
An investigation for manslaughter was entrusted to the County Security and the Cholet police station.
The municipality has been working "for years" with the fireworks specialist, assured the mayor of Cholet, Gilles Bourdouleix. "This is the first time" that such a tragedy occurred during the July 14 festivities in Cholet. He said security personnel "advised people" near the scene "to move away."
