Clearance operations have been completed for an unexploded Second World War-era bomb discovered in Paris by construction workers overnight.
The half-ton explosive was found between the train tracks leading to Gare Du Nord station — which serves 700,000 passengers a day — in the Seine-Saint Denis region on Paris’ northern border.
Workers stumbled upon the device while operating an earth-moving machine as part of a bridge repair project. It was buried approximately six feet below ground.
The discovery caused major travel delays, halting the Eurostar, a trans-European train connecting passengers to London, Paris and other cities via the Channel Tunnel. A slew of northern France’s domestic travel operations were also impacted.
Bomb disposal services arrived within an hour of its discovery and quickly established a 500-metre security perimeter. Morning rush-hour travellers at Gare du Nord were met by signs warning of disruptions, as well as snaking lines of passengers navigating ticket exchanges, travel updates and a blockaded international terminal.
Similarly, Eurostar travellers at London’s St. Pancras International were left waiting for updates.
Passengers at St. Pancras International station in London, after Eurostar trains to the capital were halted following the discovery of an unexploded Second World War-era bomb near rail tracks in Paris. Picture date: Friday March 7, 2025. (Photo by James Manning/PA Images via Getty Images).
James Manning/Getty Images
Sweeping cancellations left many scrambling for alternative arrangements, with some being advised to find flights or to book tickets for trains to Lille in the north of France.
A departures screen is seen at St. Pancras International station in London after Eurostar trains were halted following the discovery of an unexploded Second World War-era bomb near the tracks in Paris. Picture date: Friday March 7, 2025. (Photo by James Manning/PA Images via Getty Images).
James Manning/ Getty Images
Cancellations were felt across western Europe.
Gabrielle Cotton, a tourist from Missouri, was supposed to be travelling by train from Amsterdam to Paris but got stuck in Brussels.
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“I heard the girl next to me — her parents called her and said that there was a World War II bomb found in the train station,” she said. “They told us we had to get off in Brussels,” she told the Associated Press.
Michel Garrot got stranded with his wife in the Belgian capital.
“There’s no solution. We’re going to call the hotel and stay one more day. And change our train ticket,” he said.
Meanwhile, passenger Lee Bailey said Eurostar offered him a free rebooking or a refund, and an apology, but no compensation.
It is not uncommon for bombs from both world wars to be unearthed in France, though they rarely cause the level of widespread disruption seen Friday morning.
France’s transport minister Philippe Tabarot warned that Gare Du Nord could remain closed until Saturday morning.
The French Interior Ministry says since the Second World War ended in 1945, disposal units have defused 700,000 air-dropped bombs and disarmed 50 million mines, shells and other incendiary devices.
— With files from The Associated Press
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