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Second-hand horror for Americans abroad

Nirshan Perera in Paris

As news of Tuesday's terrorist attacks spread in Paris, anxious Americans gathered in small clumps to trade scraps of information.

In the streets of the French capital, expatriates and vacationers parlayed their disbelief in shocked circles and mobbed telephone booths to reach out to loved ones.

"What happened? ... We just got here an hour ago ... They say four planes ... Did you call your mom?"

Above the mellifluous gurgle of French, threads of Yankee-accented English wafted through the air, drawing countrymen together like life rafts.

"How could this happen?" asked one middle-aged woman, standing in a daze outside a post office in the city's Odeon district. She said she and a friend had learned of the attack minutes earlier, when they attempted to mail a few postcards to their families back home.

"But they just said no," she said incredulously. "All the borders are closed -- no planes are flying in at all. Even the mail has stopped!"

"I'm so sorry -- so sorry for all of us," said another woman, softly.

Down the street, as word spread of the travel embargo, others pondered their stranded predicament.

"We just flew in last night and all we want to do now is get home," muttered one panic-stricken man, as he kept a close eye on his wife and children.

In the lobby of a nearby hotel, two young girls were glued to the French news programme Canal 1, agog at the horrific images and straining to filter any bit of meaning from the foreign tongue.

"I have so many friends who work in New York," said one. "We just got back from the phone booths and one guy was bawling his eyes out."

The attacks occurred mid-afternoon Paris Time. Soon after, security was visibly tightened on the Champs Elysees, as all the capitals of the Western world went on alert. Police ran down the street in tight groups, aggressively questioning loiterers, while security personnel along the promenade of famous perfume shops checked everyone's bags.

Although commercial flights to the US may resume soon, with some airports expected to reopen later on Wednesday, all the major carriers were bogged down in phone traffic and it is near impossible to get through. According to sources, all travellers returning to the US can expect lengthy delays from the backlog of flights and increased security precautions.

The Attack on America: The Complete Coverage

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