Traffic at Paris' Gare du Nord train station halted after World War II bomb found
Eurostar trains in and out of London and some heading north from Paris were halted Friday following the discovery of an unexploded World War II bomb in the French capital, French officials confirmed.
The unexploded bomb was found near tracks serving France's busy Gare du Nord station, Eurostar reported.
"As a result, we've had to cancel all trains scheduled to run to (and) from Paris on (Friday)," the transportation company released in a statement online. "If your train has been cancelled, please change your journey for a different date of travel or claim a refund. We're very sorry for the disruption to your journey and the inconvenience caused."
France's national train operator, SNCF, said traffic was stopped at the request of police, Léa Paire, a spokeperson for the company told Paste BN by phone Friday morning while authorities were working to disable the device.
The device, Paire said, was discovered late Thursday just over a mile (2 kilometers) from the station by workers doing earth-moving work near the tracks in the Seine-Saint-Denis region.
Bomb squad technicians arrived on scene at 4:30 a.m. local time, Paire said, and created a 500 meter perimeter around the device.
French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot said traffic would be disrupted through most of Friday, according to Paire.
Train traffic resumes, but 'severely disrupted'
In a statement released Friday afternoon, SNCF announced the "demining operations had been completed" and said shortly after 4 p.m. local time, the Prefecture of Police authorized the circulation of trains in the area.
"The resumption of traffic will be very gradual from 6 p.m. and will remain very severely disrupted on all routes to and from Paris Nord until the last train," the statement reads.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for Paste BN. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.