Rabat – An unexploded World War Two bomb was discovered near Paris’ Gare du Nord station on Friday, leading to major train cancellations and evacuations. The bomb was safely defused later today, local media reported.
Weighing about 500kg, the bomb was found two meters deep at a building site near the station. This discovery led to the cancellation of trains to and from the station.
French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot said that all Eurostar trains were cancelled until the end of the day. Local rail traffic was set to return to normal from 17:00 GMT, and normal train services are expected to resume on Saturday.
Police evacuated 200 people from nearby homes in the suburb of Saint-Denis. Parts of the local ring road and the A1 motorway were temporarily closed because of the safety measures. Authorities said that even though there were schools and a care facility in the area, no one was in danger as the buildings did not face the site where the bomb was found.
Eurostar cancelled all 32 services between London and Paris as a precaution. The company said that cancelling the trains was the best way to avoid confusion for passengers.
“Due to the discovery of an unexploded bomb from the Second World War near Paris Gare du Nord, rail traffic to/from Paris has been suspended,” the company said.
They have offered customers the chance to change their booking, get a refund, or receive a voucher. Eurostar also announced that two extra trains will run on Saturday, one from London in the morning and one from Paris in the afternoon.
The bomb was discovered about 2.5 kilometers north of Gare du Nord at a building site where workers were putting up a new railway bridge. Rail yards around Paris were often targeted during World War II, which is why unexploded devices can still be found today.
