Eurostar services are halted, resulting in thousands being stranded as a World War II bomb is uncovered during clearance work at Gare du Nord station in Paris.

Eurostar, which operates high-speed trains between major European cities, has canceled all services to and from its Paris hub as a result.

A representative from France’s national rail operator, SNCF, confirmed that the unexploded bomb was found during work near the Gare du Nord station.
Services will only resume once the French police complete the “mine clearance operations,” added the spokesperson.
Gare du Nord serves as a crucial transit hub for international destinations including London, Brussels, the Netherlands, and Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, as well as regional routes.
Discovered around 4 am (03:00 GMT) by workers undertaking earth-moving tasks in the Seine-Saint-Denis area, the bomb prompted the deployment of minesweepers to the site, where their work continues.
Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot expects the disruption to persist for at least the rest of the day.
Bombs from World War I and II are frequently found in France, but such discoveries in densely populated areas are rare.

‘Options limited’

The impact quickly extended beyond France. In Brussels, train services to Paris were canceled until at least the afternoon of Friday.

“There’s no alternative. We’re going to call the hotel and extend our stay by another day and change our train ticket,” stated Michel Garrot, a retired Parisian visiting the Belgian capital, to The Associated Press.

At London’s St Pancras station, travelers anticipating the allure of Paris found their plans thwarted.
“We’re checking flights, but our options are very limited,” commented passenger Lauren Romeo-Smith to AP.
In Paris, Kasman Ibrahimi informed Reuters that he had planned to travel to Cologne, Germany, but will now seek an alternative route.
SNCF, France’s rail operator, indicates that Gare du Nord accommodates approximately 700,000 travelers daily, making it the busiest rail hub in Europe.