WWII bomb paralyses Paris train station as thousands stranded
PARIS: The unearthing of a 500-kilogram World War II bomb near tracks outside Paris on Friday halted traffic and stranded thousands of passengers in one of the biggest rail disruptions in the French capital in years.
All traffic to the Gare du Nord train station, which is France's busiest railway terminus and serves international trains to London and mainland Europe, high-speed and local connections, was halted as police worked to disable the device.
The Gare du Nord station is in the north of the French capital, hosting the Eurostar international trains in addition to regional and suburban service, according to French railway operator SNCF.
All Eurostar trains heading to and from Paris, including the popular service to London through the Channel Tunnel, were cancelled for the rest of Friday.
Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot said that rail services would resume no earlier than 1500 GMT.
The unexploded bomb was found "near the tracks" about 2.5 kilometres from the station overnight during maintenance work carried out in the northern Paris suburb of Saint Denis, the national SNCF rail company said.
There were no further details on how the bomb had been found.
The bomb dates back to World War II, with a source familiar with the situation telling that the explosive device weighed 500 kilograms (1,100 pounds). Locals did not have to be evacuated. Matthieu Chabanel, head of rail infrastructure management unit SNCF Reseau, said that finding a bomb of such size was "really quite exceptional."
"We know that during World War II, the rail network was heavily bombed, especially here north of Paris where there were also many factories," he told reporters.
"So we are particularly vigilant when we carry out work in this area and we detect an abnormal situation, which is what happened last night," he said, adding that police teams were immediately notified. Sud-Rail unionist Fabien Villedieu posted a picture of the ordnance covered in dirt.
- AFP
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