Unexploded World War II bombs cause massive damage, canceling trains entering and leaving France
Commuter traffic at one of France’s busiest railway stations fell into a full halt Friday morning after workers discovered an unexploded World War II bomb north of Gare du Nord in northern Paris.
French transport minister Philippe Tabarot told broadcaster SUD radio that full-day travel is expected to be “severely damaged” and urged travelers to postpone their trips.
He added that there is a risk of “no fear” or explosion, which highlights the procedures for destruction and removal of such bombs.
The incident undermined all train services, including local metropolitan, commuter rail, and national and international train services.
Workers found World War II bombs under tracks about a mile and a half north of the Gare du Nord station in Paris.
Eurostar confirmed to NBC News that it had cancelled all trains to and from Paris, including trains to London, Brussels and Amsterdam until noon local time (6 a.m. ET), adding that traffic will resume once police complete the “Mine Clearing Operation.”
European train operators encourage all passengers to travel on another day, later adding that they can trade tickets for free at different times or dates on the same trip.
Eurostar added that the trains between London and Amsterdam, London and Brussels and Brussels near Paris are operating properly.
Friday at the Gal Nord station in Paris.
According to a train operated by the French National Railways, around 4 o’clock local time, around local time, around local time, workers found unexploded bombs on the train tracks in the Denise area of the Seine River, about the time Gare du Nord was around local time.
Police cleared the area and blocked the scene soon after.
Just before 5 a.m. local time, the RER-B train line released on X with the “bomb disposal experts just arrived to ensure the area and evacuate elements.”
Unexploded bombs date back to World War I and World War II.
In 2019, a bomb weighing nearly £1,000 was found at a construction site in Porte de la Chapelle near Gare du Nord, causing temporary damage to the Eurostar train and evacuated nearly 2,000 people.
French authorities later determined that in April 1944, the Royal Air Force was likely to shoot down the bomb, targeting Nazi-occupied Paris before landing on D-D in Normandy.
This article was originally published on nbcnews.com.
