A couple from Wellington are safe after fleeing the scene of a massacre in the French port town of Nice.

A rented truck, believed to be driven by 31-year-old Tunisian man Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, powered into a crowd of 40,000 who had gathered on the promenade to watch a fireworks display on Bastille Day - the French national day of celebration.

Authorities say 84 people have been killed, and hundreds injured.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed last night there were no indications that any New Zealanders are among victims

Vicky Dunstan-Brow and her husband Phil, from Wellington, were on the promenade. They had finished watching the fireworks and had stopped to listen to a French folk band playing on a small stage when she saw hundreds of people running towards them.

"People were pulling their babies out of push chairs, abandoning bikes and just screaming, and running and running," she said.

"We were about 300 metres away from where the actual truck stopped. We heard about fifty gunshots and then police were running towards the area where we had just come from."

"People were getting knocked over just stampeding. It was just chaos, panic. People shouting, and shouting 'terrorist' in French."

"A lot of fear. It was very, very terrifying. I've never run so fast."

Nine girls from a Christchurch high school were also caught up in the attack, but are also safe.

The students, from Rangi Ruru Girls’ School, are considering whether or not remain there.

They are on a holiday trip expected back in two weeks.

Principal Sandra Hastie said they are all accounted for and safe.

"Look at this stage they are going to be staying there, but we need to find out more information," Hastie said.

"We will assess the situation once we get more information from the authorities as to what to do next."

"The next step will be to actually take advice and work out what we do. We don't have a definitive plan one way or another at this stage. They are due to move on to Barcelona, Spain in the next few days, so we're just not sure."

New Zealanders currently in France are being urged to register their names on the www.safetravel.govt.nz website.

MFAT said there were 925 New Zealanders currently registered with the Ministry as being in France.