Traffic at the Gal Nord train station in Paris has stopped as unexploded World War II bombs are found near tracks
Paris – The Eurostar train to and from London and other northbound trains from Paris were rushed to a standstill Friday after an unexploded bomb was found dating back to World War II and near World War II, serving the busy Gal Nord station in the French capital. The country's national train operator SNCF said in a statement that traffic was stopped due to police requests from France's busiest railway stations. Authorities are working to disable decades-old equipment.
French transport minister Philippe Tabarot said traffic throughout the day would be “severely damaged” and that only limited service was restored in the afternoon, urging travelers to postpone their trips.
“All Eurostar trains have been cancelled today's Paris,” Eurostar said in a statement to the Associated Press. “Eurostar sincerely apologizes for the interruption and understands the inconvenience that may be caused. We thank everyone for their patience and cooperation during this time.”
The bomb was discovered around 4 a.m., through workers who were doing Earth work near the track in the Senas-Denis area.
Geoffroy Van der Hasselt/AFP via Getty Images
The minesweeper was sent to the site and their operations were still in progress.
When open Friday, stranded travelers gather at the station.
Gare du Nord is a major European transport center that serves international destinations north of France, such as the European capital, Brussels and the Netherlands, as well as major airports in Paris and many regional destinations.
The remaining bombs in World War I and World War II are often Discovered around France There are others European countriesbut rarely in such a place full of people.
Michel Euler / AP
Tabarot said in a speech on the broadcaster's SUD radio that local residents and people near the train station should be “not worried” about the risk of explosions, as he emphasized the procedures for chopping up these bombs and removing such bombs.
Eurostar, which runs passenger trains in a channel tunnel between the UK and the mainland, canceled all services between London and Paris on Friday morning and advised passengers to choose another day of travel.
Friday is one of the busiest days of the week, with thousands of people leaving and arriving at weekend breaks at Eurostar London Hub, St. Pancras Station.
Trains between Brussels, other major destinations between London and Eurostar, are not affected.
