Paris attacks: Leeds couple climbed through skylight to escape Bataclan siege

A couple from Leeds have talked about how they escaped the attacks at the Bataclan music hall by climbing through a skylight during the siege.

Tony Scott and fiancee Justine Merton were on the balcony when gunmen stormed the Eagles of Death Metal gig.

After using a grate as a ladder to climb to the roof, they hid with around 30 others in a nearby apartment.

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The music venue suffered the most casualties during Friday’s attacks, with gunmen killing 89 people are critically injuring 99 others.

Speaking to the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire programme, Mr Scott said the “insignificant” decision to go upstairs ended up being “the difference between life and death”.

Ms Merton had recently returned to her seat from the downstairs bar when they heard gunfire. The couple fell to the floor and hid behind the seats.

She said: “They were going round, systematically shooting people. If we had stayed there, all they had to do was come up the stairs and we would be next.

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“I can’t imagine what they went through down on the floor, lying amongst the bodies.”

Mr Scott said: “We were crawling along behind the chairs on our bellies, but there were gaps between the rows of seats so we were exposed.”

They reached a door leading to a stairwell, where they were allowed through before it was barricaded shut again.

“The only way out was through a skylight and there were quite a few of us jam-packed into this stairwell,” Ms Merton said.

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“There was a grate that they had pulled down, with three blokes hoisting people up because it was quite a height up.”

After reaching the roof, they were ushered toward a rooftop apartment, where up to 30 people were hiding.

Mr Scott said: “The lights went off and we were in darkness, but we could hear bursts of gunfire.

“We heard three explosions and we were thinking ‘is the building going to collapse?’”

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His fiancee said: “I was just saying ‘you’re not getting out of marrying me that easily, we are going home’.”

Armed police eventually found them and they were escorted down a ladder and away from the venue.

Mr Scott said: “There’s a lot of hate being thrown around, but we just don’t feel any of it, we feel nothing but love really.

“We’ve been through quite a traumatic experience and we’re incredibly lucky to be alive.”

His fiancee added: “Although we saw the very worst of humanity on Friday, we saw the very best as well - people doing very selfless, courageous things.”

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