UNITED NATIONS, July 14 -- The UN Security Council on Thursday "condemned in the strongest terms a barbaric and cowardly terrorist attack," which killed at least 80 people in Nice, France.

"The members of the Security Council reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security," the 15-nation UN body said in a press statement.

"Members of the Security Council underlined the need to bring the perpetrators of these terrorist acts to justice, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and other obligations under international law," the statement said.

At 22:30 (2030 GMT) Thursday night local time, a truck drove at high speed into a crowd who gathered on the promenade to watch a fireworks show marking the French national day.

This incident was earlier reportedly described by the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes as an "attack" and a probe was launched to determine whether the driver acted alone, according to French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve.