Fear and despair: Paris attacks aftermath caught in pictures

France was rocked by multiple, near simultaneous attacks on entertainment sites around Paris on Friday evening and French media said scores of people were killed and hostages were being held in a concert hall in the capital.

Gunmen and bombers attacked restaurants, a concert hall and a sports stadium at locations across Paris on Friday, killing at least 120 people in what a shaken President Francois Hollande called an unprecedented terrorist attack.

A Paris city hall official said gunmen systematically slaughtered more than 80 people attending a rock concert at the Bataclan music hall. Anti-terrorist commandos eventually launched an assault on the building, killed the gunmen and rescued dozens of shocked survivors.

Some 40 other people were killed in up to five other attacks in the Paris region, the city hall official said, including an apparent double suicide bombing outside the national stadium where Hollande and the German foreign minister were watching a friendly soccer international.

Here are some dramatic images from the night of terror:

Police control crowds leaving the Stade de France where explosions were reported to have detonated outside the stadium during the France vs German friendly match near Paris, November 13, 2015. (Reuters)

Investigators work outside a bar near the Stade de France where explosions were reported to have detonated outside the stadium during the France vs German friendly soccer match near Paris. (Reuters)

Police control crowds leaving the Stade de France where explosions were reported to have detonated outside the stadium during the France vs German friendly match near Paris. (Reuters)

A general view of the scene that shows rescue services personnel working near the covered bodies outside a restaurant following a shooting incident in Paris. (Reuters)

US President Barack Obama pauses while speaking about the shooting attacks in Paris, from the White House in Washington. (Reuters)

Rescue workers stand near Place de la Republique square in Paris on November 13. (AFP)

French police with protective shields walk in line near the Bataclan concert hall following fatal shootings in Paris. (Reuters)

French special forces evacuate people, including an injured man holding his head, as people gather near the Bataclan concert hall following fatal shootings in Paris. (Reuters)

French fire brigade members aid an injured individual near the Bataclan concert hall following fatal shootings in Paris. (Reuters)

People hug on the street near the Bataclan concert hall. (Reuters)

Spectators gather on the pitch of the Stade de France stadium following the friendly football match between France and Germany in Saint-Denis. (AFP Photo)

French President Francois Hollande makes a statement on television following attacks in Paris, France, in this still image taken from video on November 13. (Reuters)

A student holds a sign in recognition of the attacks in Paris before the game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the St. Francis Red Flash at the Purcell Pavilion. (USA Today Sports)