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A massive 500-kilogram World War II bomb unearthed near tracks outside Paris brought travel to a standstill on Friday, impacting thousands of passengers and causing significant disruption at the Gare du Nord train station. The station, France's busiest railway terminus and a key international hub serving London and mainland Europe, saw all traffic halted as authorities worked to safely remove 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 (1.5 miles) 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 saying 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.
It was not immediately clear when and by who the bomb was dropped during World War II and if it dated to before or after the 1940 occupation of Paris by Nazi Germany.
