BOMB CHAOS
First pic of 660lb WWII BOMB on tracks that’s shut Eurostar emerges as trains cancelled & passengers told ‘don’t travel’
Local metro services and national trains were also affected
THIS is the 660-pound bomb from World War II that brought Eurostar trains to and From Paris’ Gare du Nord to a chaotic halt.
The massive explosive was found “in the middle of the tracks” by workmen doing overnight maintenance in the early hours of Friday.
15
15
15
15
15
15
And its very first picture has now been revealed, showing the giant bomb enveloped in crusty layers of dirt and dust from the decades it stayed hidden away.
On Friday morning, Eurostar said its services between London and Paris will remain suspended for the rest of today.
Affected passengers can exchange their ticket for free to travel at a different time or date in the same travel class.
Eurostar added that it “sincerely apologises for the disruption and understands the inconvenience this may cause”.
Read more world news
A local railway line spokesman said the bomb was found in Saint Denis, a suburb of Paris.
"The site of the bomb is around two kilometers [less than two miles] from Gare du Nord, so the decision was taken to shut the line in both directions.
"All services have been cancelled, and there are currently long delays.
"A bomb disposal squad is at the scene, and attempting to make it safe."
Most read in The Sun
The area has been evacuated, and people are being warned not to go near the area, said the source.
Top 5 Picturesque Train Journeys in Europe
The disruption has affected local metro services as well as national and international trains, including Eurostar and TGV.
Eurostar stated in an earlier update that "due to an object on the tracks near Paris Gare du Nord, we are expecting disruption to our services this morning.
"Please change your journey for a different date of travel."
The company's website shows at least four scheduled departures to London St Pancras International were cancelled as police worked to neutralise the device.
French railway company TER said on X: “An unexploded bomb from the Second World War was discovered near the tracks.”
Passengers could exchange their tickets for free to travel on another date or time in the same class, subject to availability, according to the train operator.
Bride-to-be Charlotte Liddell was headed to her own hen party when her group discovered the cancellations.
Others in the party have already flown from northern England and are already in Paris.
Charlotte, from London, will now fly from Leeds Bradford Airport in the hopes of getting to the French capital still this evening.
She said: “It’s the hen do without the hen!
“We’re very upset, but it’s so out of our control.”
Fran Birch, one of Charlotte's maids of honour, added: “We’ve got all the decorations with us.”
About the bomb, she joked: “It’s from World War Two. Just let it lie.”
15
15
15
15
The Gare du Nord is a major European transit hub, serving international destinations north of France as well as the main Paris airport and many regional commuters.
Around 700,000 people use the busy station every day, meaning thousands of journeys were disrupted by the bomb.
Gare du Nord was extensively used by occupying German forces during the Second World War, up until the liberation of Paris in 1944.
Before then, the area around it was regularly bombed by the RAF and the US Air Force, as were factories in the Paris suburbs.
Ordnance from both World Wars is still regularly found around France, especially in building works, and is known as "the Iron Harvest".
The last major air raid on Paris was in 1944, meaning trains are likely to have been passing over or close to the bomb for more than 80 years.
Almost 70,000 men, women and children were killed by mainly Allied bombing during the Second World War, as 1,500 cities and towns were regularly attacked.
The bomb found today is likely to have been linked to the April 1944 raid on Paris-La Chapelle, around Gare du Nord, which saw 670 people killed, and 377 wounded.
It was carried out by 270 RAF Arvo Lancaster and 22 Mosquito bombers, and also led to the widespread destruction of property.
15
15
The April 21st 1944 RAF raid on northern Paris specifically targetted railway junctions and tracks, in the build up to D-Day.
Coded radio messages from London to the French Resistance announced it with the words: ‘La Chapelle au clair de lune’, which means ‘La Chapelle in the moonlight’.
The bombing – which lasted two hours – was initially very precise, but smoke later led to many devices falling off target.
As was common at the time, a large number also failed to detonate.
The 247 Avro Lancasters and 22 Mosquitos involved were part of the RAF’s 627th squadron.
Read More on The Sun
In all, they dropped 2000 bombs, many of them close to La Plaine Saint-Denis, where the Stade de France has since been built.
A square close to where today’s bomb was found is today named ‘Place du 21 April 1944’ , in honour of the hundreds of civilian victims.
15
15
15
Topics