2024-07-30 00:18:52
Paris: French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said that the incidents of vandalism and arson on the eve of the Olympics have badly affected the high-speed rail network spreading across the main parts of the country and its sole aim was to disrupt the high-speed train network.He said that the main routes leading to Paris in the north, east and west were targeted in a phased manner just hours before the opening ceremony of the Olympics. Addressing reporters, Attal said that these incidents will have serious consequences as ‘thousands’ of people will be stranded midway while trying to reach Paris for the Olympics or holidays.
France’s high-speed rail network stalls
Widespread “criminal” attacks including arson on Friday paralysed France’s high-speed rail network and disrupted travel to Paris from France and the rest of Europe just hours before the Olympics’ opening ceremony. French authorities condemned the attacks as “criminal acts”. Prosecutors in Paris have launched an investigation and said those found guilty could face 15 to 20 years in prison.
Fire near tracks, rail traffic disrupted
In Paris, officials were preparing for a spectacular parade along the Seine river and its banks, but there were reports of arson near the tracks on the Atlantique, Nord and Est high-speed lines. The incidents of arson disrupted rail traffic and affected thousands of passengers. According to the German news agency ‘DPA’, two German athletes who were on a train to Paris to participate in the opening ceremony had to return to Belgium because of the closure of the railway route and will now not be able to attend the ceremony. These athletes are participating in the equestrian competition.
Olympic players are facing problems
“There is no question of being on time now,” Philippe Weishaupt, a fellow rider travelling with Christian Kukuk, told dpa. French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said on Xinhua that French intelligence services had been deployed to track down the perpetrators. Attal described the incidents as “well-planned and coordinated”. No injuries were reported in the incidents.
The minister said – the fire was set intentionally
Transport Minister Patrice Vergritte reported people fleeing the scene of the arson and the recovery of incendiary devices. “All this indicates that the accused set the fires deliberately,” he said. The incidents have crippled several high-speed lines linking Paris to the rest of France and neighbouring countries, Vergritte told BFM television.
What the French rail company said
French national rail company SNCF said areas affecting rail track intersections were targeted in order to double the impact of the incidents. “Two destinations were affected by a single act of arson,” said the company’s chief executive Jean-Pierre Farandou. “These were well-planned, premeditated and coordinated attacks, aimed at causing serious harm to the French people,” Farandou said.