Saboteurs damaged or attempted to damage at least five key junctions of the French rail systems on the day of the Olympics opening ceremonies in Paris, the BBC reports, sending the plans commuters and tourists trying to get around the country haywire, the BBC reports. Also known as the grand départ, Friday marks the start of the nation’s holiday season when families begin extended vacations.
At four locations, junction boxes, wiring and electronics were damaged by vandals in a coordinated attack designed to paralyze the rail system. An attack on a fifth station was reportedly interrupted by a rail service team arriving at the location for scheduled maintenance. Officials said the attacks involved destruction of property, arson, and cable theft designed to paralyze the system.
Hundreds of passengers remained stranded into the evening as state-owned rail company SNCF worked to reroute trains and put the impacted high-speed trains on traditional tracks while the needed repairs occurred.