On the day of the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Paris, suspected arson attacks on technical installations paralysed large parts of the French railway network. In addition to regular passengers, athletes are now also stuck – the search for those responsible is ongoing.
Secret services and security forces have been mobilized “to track down and punish the perpetrators of these criminal acts,” Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said Friday. According to the French railway company SNCF, some 800,000 passengers were affected by the arson.
“This operation was prepared and coordinated, critical points were addressed,” Attal said. He called for caution in speculating about the profile of the perpetrators. Initially, no one claimed responsibility for the acts.
The characteristics of athletes were also influenced
But many athletes are also suffering from the bumpy start to the big event. “On the Atlantic coast we run 250 trains a day. We had four trains with athletes, two of which could drive,” said a railway spokesman. Half of them never reached their destination.
Many people get nowhere:
Attal spoke of “coordinated acts of sabotage”. The impact on the railway network on the opening day of the Olympic Games was enormous and serious, he wrote about it.”
Railway boss suspects ‘gang of lunatics’
SNCF boss Jean-Pierre Farandou spoke of a “sad day”. “It is an attack on holiday travel, on the French”, he said, referring to the weekend, three weeks into the summer holidays, when heavy holiday traffic was expected. A “gang of lunatics” prevented this, he explained.
Similar acts of sabotage have occurred in the past. In January 2023, during the protests against pension reforms, unknown persons damaged 600 cables by fire, causing numerous train cancellations.
Heavy rain is forecast for the opening ceremony
The opening ceremony of the Olympic Games will take place in Paris in the evening and 326,000 spectators are expected, including around a hundred heads of state and government. The disruption is also likely to have affected many spectators and athletes who wanted to arrive by train on Friday.
Adding to the logistical chaos is the forecast of heavy rainfall. Between 6pm and midnight, about 25 to 30mm of rain is expected, equivalent to 15 days of rain, meteorologist Patrick Marliere said on RMC radio. And further: “In these few hours, it will be a catastrophe.” A tailor-made start looks different.
Source: Krone
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