Korea checks nationals' safety after deadly France attack

South Korea has been checking the safety of its nationals in the wake of a deadly attack on the southern French city of Nice, an official said Friday, with no South Korean casualties reported so far.

On Thursday night (local time), a truck drove into a crowd during celebrations for the Bastille Day holiday, killing at least 84 people and injuring more than 100 others, according to media reports.

The South Korean Embassy in Paris has been working to determine whether any South Koreans were among the victims, the official at Seoul's foreign ministry said.

As of 10 a.m. (South Korean time), five South Koreans could not be contacted, including some who were scheduled to have lunch in Nice on the day of the attack, according to the official. It said that people who have been reported missing may be using local USIM cards in their mobile devices that could make it hard for them to be reached.

The ministry held an emergency meeting of relevant officials and ordered its embassy in Paris to quickly dispatch a consul to Nice.

The ministry said that it is also considering raising its travel alert level by one notch for Nice, and ask South Koreans to refrain from traveling to the Mediterranean city. The alert level for the popular tourist destination is currently at the lowest of four possible levels. (Yonhap)