Vehicles damaged in Bastille Day eve

PARIS, July 14 (UPI) -- More than 300 vehicles were torched across France as Bastille Day festivities began, officials said.

Police reported a 6.73 percent increase in property damage this year over last year, but still called the eve of Bastille Day "relatively calm," Radio France Internationale reported Tuesday.

Thirteen police officers were injured, but the majority of which were hearing-related because of fireworks being thrown at them.

On Tuesday morning, over 400 Indian soldiers participated in the Bastille Day parade, observed by guest of honor Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, along with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and German President Horst Koehler. The visiting dignitaries joined French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife, Carla Bruni, and members of the French government in Bastille Day activities.