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An unexploded bomb from WWII was found buried outside Gare du Nord in Paris, the third-busiest train station in the world, prompting services to be disrupted. On Friday, March 7, 2025, the French transport minister, Philippe Tabarot, in a press release, revealed that about 500 trains to and from the city were canceled, affecting about 600,000 passengers.
Citing a statement by a spokesperson for France’s national rail company SNCF, CNN reported that construction workers working on a railway bridge near Saint-Denis, about 2.5 km outside Paris, discovered the explosive buried two meters underground. They described it as "really huge."
As news of the discovery spread, internet users were quick to react. One shocked user wrote:
"What timeline are we even in."
Many continued to express their surprise using hilarious quips.
"Imagine running late and they hit you with “sorry, war leftovers," one joked.
"i can’t believe we’re getting MORE ww2 discoveries before gta 6," another quipped.
"i have so many questions," a user noted.
Others explained that it was common in European cities, especially those in Germany.
"how do not realize that there's a 500 kg BOMB on train tracks for over 80 years?" a person questioned.
"everyone in the comments sounds surprised, i thought this was a european thing if you dig a hole in germany you are pretty much guaranteed to find a ww2 bomb," one explained.
"this is so EU coded," another added.
French transport minister revealed that this was the fourth bomb found in the area
As news of the bomb spread, French police quickly established a perimeter and evacuated about 200 people from the Saint-Denis area. according to BBC, They also closed the suburb's main ring road and the A1 motorway around Porte de la Chapelle.
In his statement, French transport minister Philippe Tabarot noted that it was the fourth explosive found in the area since 2019, according to News Sky.
In their statement made to the outlet, Christophe Pezron, who heads the department responsible for bomb disposal in Paris, revealed that they first moved the explosive into a hole, following which their team managed to unscrew and destroy its fuse.
Describing the situation as those seen in movies, Pezron added that it was British-made and weighed 453 kg. He explained that it could have caused major damage had it exploded.
The bomb halted international services of Eurostar trains from the Gare du Nord, leaving a large crowd of travelers stranded. The company later reported that after it was diffused in the evening, its services would be back to normal on Saturday. Further, Eurostar added extra return journeys to London and Brussels.
Local train service has resumed, and all road closures have been lifted.
