Eurostar trains heading to London and northern France came to a sudden halt on Friday morning after an unexpected and alarming discovery: an unexploded bomb from World War II was found near the tracks just north of Paris.
The bomb was located about 1.5 miles away from Gare du Nord station in Saint Denis, an area famous for hosting the Stade de France, where many of last year’s Olympic events — including the closing ceremony — took place.
Because of the bomb scare, train service between Paris’s Gare du Nord and La Plaine Stade France was completely stopped in both directions until 10 a.m. Even after that, disruptions continued on other parts of the line. France’s national train operator, SNCF, advised passengers to delay their travel plans if possible.
Gare du Nord is Europe’s busiest railway station, serving over 211 million passengers in 2022. So when the cancellations hit, the station quickly filled up with frustrated travelers, waiting with their luggage and staring at information boards as train after train got canceled.
Right now, authorities haven’t said how big the bomb is or how long it will take to remove it safely. The area remains under investigation, and regular train service will resume only once it’s deemed safe.
