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No reports of Fijian casualties in Paris

No reports of Fijian casualties in Paris
Victims lay on the pavement outside a Paris restaurant, Le Carillon. Photo:CBS News

There have been no reports of Fijian casualties in the terrorist attacks in Paris.

However, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ratu Inoke Kubuabola has asked Ambassador to Belgium and Permanent Representative to the European Union, Deo Saran to ensure all Fijians living in Paris were accounted for.

According to a Fijian government statement, Saran is currently in Paris for the UNESCO General Conference and assured Kubuabola, he was safe and that he had not received any reports of Fijian casualties.

Fijian Ambassador for Climate Change and Oceans Amena Yauvoli, who was in Paris earlier this week, also assured Kubuabola he was safe after leaving Paris for Beijing.

Saran assured Kubuabola that his staff were liaising with all Fijians working in Paris, particularly rugby players to confirm everyone was safe.

Prime Minister, Voreqe Bainimarama says every Fijian shares his horror at the terrorist attacks in Paris.

He says on behalf of the Fijian Government and Fijian people, he wants to express both deepest condolences and unwavering solidarity with the people of France.

Bainimarama says the nature of these attacks on innocent people are horrifying and our hearts go out to the families of those killed, who are in our prayers and our thoughts at this time.

Spectators gather on the pitch of the Stade de France following the friendly football match between France and Germany in Saint-Denis. Photo: CBS News

Meanwhile, ISIS has claimed responsibility for gunfire and blasts that killed 129 people in Paris and over 300 wounded.

A number of arrests have been made in Belgium during police raids in connection to the attacks in France.

One attacker has been identified as a 30‑year‑old French man who had been arrested eight times.

A manhunt is underway for accomplices, with several arrests in Belgium linked to the attacks.

Six sites were targeted in Paris, the deadliest being a massacre at a concert hall where at least 80 people were killed.

In all, French authorities put the number of dead at 129, though the death toll is expected to fluctuate as the situation becomes clearer.

Gun bullet impacts are seen on the windows of Le Carillon bar Photo: CBS News

According to CNN, in an online statement distributed by supporters, ISIS said eight militants wearing explosive belts and armed with machine guns attacked precisely selected areas in the French capital.

A Syrian passport was found near the body of an attacker outside one of the targeted sites, the Stade de France.

A source close to the investigation told CNN that an Egyptian passport was found on another attacker however there is strong assumption that these passports are fake.

French President, Francois Hollande blamed the attacks on ISIS, calling it "an act of war" by the militants. He said it was planned from the outside with inside complicity.

He says when the terrorists are capable of doing such acts, they must know that they will face a France very determined.

The prosecutor's office in France said it cannot confirm whether all terrorists have been killed because it has not determined the total number of attackers.

Of the eight, seven died in suicide bombings.

Source: CNN, Sydney Morning Herald, BBC, CBS News

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