Eighty people were reported killed after gunmen burst into the Bataclan concert hall and took dozens hostage. The siege ended when security forces stormed the building.

People were shot dead at bars and restaurants at five other sites in Paris. Eight attackers were later reported killed.

Police believed all of the gunmen were dead but it was unclear if any accomplices were still on the run after the string of near-simultaneous attacks.

Paris residents have been asked to stay indoors and about 1,500 military personnel are being deployed across the city.

The gunmen's motives were not immediately confirmed, but one witness at the Bataclan heard one of the attackers appear to express support for the militant Islamic State (IS) group.

"It's Hollande's fault, he shouldn't have intervened in Syria!" the man shouted, according to French news agency AFP, citing the French president's decision to take part in Western air strikes on IS.

Paris saw three days of attacks in early January, when Islamist gunmen murdered 18 people, attacking satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, a Jewish supermarket and a policewoman on patrol.