Eurostar trains in Paris, France, have an explosive obstacle halting their plans for the foreseeable future. Recently, the company announced a shocking reveal that's throwing a wrench in travel for the third busiest train station in the world. Construction workers tell authorities that they have discovered an unexploded World War II bomb.
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They found it 2.5km outside of Paris, France, interfering with a lot of routes for trains heading back to Paris and those looking to leave to places like London and Brussels. However, a spokesperson for France's national rail company SNCF explains that the bomb poses an incredible safety hazard for everyone involved. It weighs 500kg, including 200kg of explosives, meaning a catastrophe if not treated properly. "The bomb could be a serious threat to people's lives," the spokesperson stresses.
World War II Bomb Cancels All Eurostar Train Passages To Paris, France
220 million visitors pass through using Eurostar every year. Consequently, an abundance of people find themselves in flux with the train company due to the bomb. Such a drastic shift in plans leave a lot of people losing out in money due to previous reservations. "We were supposed to leave for a weekend in London this morning. The worry is that we will lose ?800 worth of hotel rooms if we don't make the reservation, so that's a bit of a problem." one person laments to the news.
Additionally, one person claims that Eurostar isn't doing much to help explain the situation to its usual passengers. Instead, all they receive is a notification that they may or may not get their money back from them over the bomb. "There is no information being given on the app, only the Eurostar site that says that we can be reimbursed. Aside from that, no further information," they said.
French Transport Minister Philippe Tabaro tries to temper any outrage or anxieties. He mentions that they're currently working out a way to get things back and running despite the unique circumstances. "There's no reason to fear," he says. "It can happen that deminers have to clear a certain number of abandoned bags sometimes. But it's quite rare for a WW2 bomb."
