The first week of the trial of eight people accused in connection with the Bastille Day massacre in the southern French city of Nice in 2016 has been marked by absences. The perpetrator was shot dead by security forces at the scene of the crime. The families of many victims have refused to make the 700km trip to the Paris courtroom.
On the evening of 14 July 2016, Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel deliberately drove a truck into the crowds watching the Bastille Day fireworks display on the Promenade des Anglais in the southern French city of Nice.
