Paris evacuation of a bomb that fell in 1944 – ElSol.com.ar – Diario de Mendoza, Argentina

About 1,800 inhabitants north of Paris and the city of Saint-Denis were evacuated this Sunday morning for the planned deactivation of a large bomb weighing several hundred kilos since its launch in April 1944.

The operation, led by the police headquarters around the Porte de la Chapelle, should be completed early in the afternoon, once it explodes in a hole dug to seven meters deep and protected with soil bags to minimize potential shaking.

The device was moved 70 km from where it was found, Efe news agency reported.

The American-made bomb, probably launched by a British plane while Paris was still occupied by the Nazis in the spring of 1944, was located on February 4 during works as well as one of the railroad corridors entering the French capital. .

The evacuation of residents within a 300-meter perimeter was carried out between 6:00 and 8:30 local on either side of the Parisian ring road that separates the capital from the city of Saint-Denis. A large number of people affected were residents of two towers of the Rue de la Chapelle.

The authorities have also interrupted the circulation of most roads that cross this area, including the A1 motorway towards Brussels.

Public transport has also been modified, with the closure of bus stops on metro line 12, a tram line and bus lines throughout the area.

With regard to railways, train traffic from Estación del Norte, as well as regional and high-speed trains (TGV), such as the Eurostar to London and the Thalys to Brussels , was interrupted. .