A student caught up in the Paris Bataclan Theatre massacre has described crawling over bodies to escape the terrifying gun siege.

Hanna Corbett, 21, from St Albans, said people were screaming and running for their lives moments after masked gunmen opened fire on the audience of a sold-out Eagles of Death Metal concert on Friday night.

The third-year history student at the University of Nottingham, who was with her friend Jack Konda, told national press the music stopped and there was a “haunting silence” between bouts of gunfire.

She said: “It just feels like a nightmare and so surreal. It was towards the end of the gig and we heard what sounded like firecrackers or fireworks.

“Everyone thought it was part of the show, but then I saw the lead singer’s face turn white with fear and the band fled the stage.

“They looked so petrified. We all just dropped to the floor. We were to the left of the stage in the main standing area and quite near the fire exit.

“When the music stopped, the lights came up and there was this haunting silence inbetween gunfire.

“I could see blood and bodies on the floor. I’d never heard a gun before and didn’t expect it. It felt like the shooters were near to us. I thought we were going to die. It must have taken about 10 minutes to get to the exit.

“But everything was moving in slow motion.”

As she got to the exit, Miss Corbett witnessed “heartbreaking” scenes of people helping each other and hugging.

She continued: “We were on our hands and knees, but everybody was being really quiet.

“People were lying on the floor pretending to have been shot. But in the panic of it all I don’t know whether they could have been dead bodies.

“In the background, I could just hear these hollow gun shot sounds repeatedly going off.

“We were scrambling over bodies. I lost my phone, handbag, passport my shoe.

“People were helping each other and hugging - it was really heartbreaking. Some managed to crawl out but there was just a pile of people by the exit. We didn’t know what we were crawling over. There must have been a about 20 shots fired before we managed to get out.

“Then when we got out, there were just people running for their lives.”