Eurostar trains in a Paris train station have been cancelled following the discovery of an unexploded World War II bomb.
The bomb was found near train tracks serving the French capital's busy Gare du Nord station, triggering cancellations and leaving travellers heading to and from Paris stranded.
Commuters have been urged to postpone their trips, with only limited services resuming throughout the day, French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot said.
Mr Tabarot said traffic would be ''strongly disrupted'' throughout the day with only limited service resuming in the afternoon.
France's national train operator SNCF said in a statement that traffic was stopped at the request of police.
The bomb was discovered by workers doing earth-moving work near the tracks in the early hours of the morning.
Minesweepers were sent to the site and their operation is still going on.
The Gare du Nord is a major European transit hub, serving international destinations north of France such as the EU capital, Brussels, and the Netherlands, as well as the main Paris airport and many regional destinations.
Bombs left over from World War I or World War II are regularly discovered around France, but it is very rare to find them in such a people-packed location.
Friday is one of the busiest days of the week at Eurostar's London hub, St. Pancras Station, as thousands of people leave and arrive for weekend breaks.
Trains between London and Eurostar's other major destination, Brussels, were unaffected.
AP/ABC
