Only hours remain!

Make a monthly gift to sustain local news on the last day of our June member drive.
2,527 sustainers of 2,500 goal
Logged in as
Audience-funded nonprofit news
radio tower icon laist logo
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Subscribe
  • Listen Now Playing Listen
  • Listen Now Playing Listen

This archival content was originally written for and published on KPCC.org. Keep in mind that links and images may no longer work — and references may be outdated.

KPCC Archive

France attack: SoCal UC Berkeley student still missing — 'We are hoping and working really hard to bring Nic home'

This story is free to read because readers choose to support LAist. If you find value in independent local reporting, make a donation to power our newsroom today.

UC Berkeley student Nicolas Leslie, 20, is known to have been at the Bastille Day celebration and is still unaccounted for, UC Berkeley's Claire Holmes told KPCC. Leslie, who was participating in a study abroad program, is from Southern California.

"We have called every hospital. There is no information to lead us to believe he is in a hospital," Holmes said.

The school is not currently planning a vigil.

Nicolas Leslie, 20, is known to have been at the Bastille Day celebration and is still unaccounted for, a UC Berkeley spokesman said.
Nicolas Leslie, 20, is known to have been at the Bastille Day celebration and is still unaccounted for, a UC Berkeley spokesman said.
(
Facebook
)

"We're not having a vigil ... because he's coming home," Holmes said. "As soon as we know, we'll issue a statement about his status, but everybody's still looking for him."

There were 85 UC Berkeley students attending a nearby study abroad program in Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Europe, according to a release from the school. The school was working with students in France, officials, Leslie's family and others to locate the missing student, Holmes said.

"We're all hoping and holding out that he will be found very soon," Holmes said. "What we're really focused on right now is trying to find Nic Leslie."

Sponsored message

Three other UC Berkeley students were among those injured, Holmes said. Two of the injured students suffered broken legs. The third suffered a broken foot, according to the release:

Two of the injured students were released after medical treatment and have returned to their summer dormitories in Nice. They are Vladyslav Kostiuk, 23, a senior computer science major in the College of Letters and Science, who sustained a broken leg; and Diane Huang, 20, a senior majoring in environmental economics and policy in the College of Natural Resources, who suffered a broken foot.

Daryus Medora, 21, whose leg was broken, remains in the hospital. He is an undeclared sophomore in the College of Letters and Science.

Many students had been attending the Bastille Day celebration, Holmes said.

Leslie is a junior at UC Berkeley and a student in the College of Natural Resources, Holmes said.

"The family actually has a relative in Italy who drove over to Nice last night, and is on the ground as well, trying to find Nic," Holmes said."

The study abroad program, located just outside of Nice, has been temporarily suspended as part of three days of mourning in France, Holmes said. It is scheduled to continue following the mourning period until the program's scheduled end on July 24. Three students are on their way home after taking the school up on an offer to leave the program early.

UC Berkeley noted in its release that this follows terrorist attacks in other countries that have impacted the campus community, including sophomore Tarishi Jain being among 20 hostages killed by Islamic militants in Bangladesh on July 1.

"This is another tragic event. We're reeling from the last event that happened where one of our students was killed in a terrorist attack in Bangladesh, and the campus is just in mourning over all of this. It's tragic, and we are hoping and working really hard to bring Nic home," Holmes said.

You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.

Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.

If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.

Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief

Make your tax-deductible donation today