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🇫🇷 France /Disasters & Emergencies

Paris-Nice TGV arrives six hours late amid heatwave chaos

From Le Figaro · () French

Translated from French, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Outcome reported
  • A TGV train traveling from Paris to Nice experienced a six-hour delay due to a series of technical issues and a breakdown in a tunnel.
  • Passengers reported extreme heat in non-air-conditioned cars, with temperatures reaching 48°C, leading to several medical incidents.
  • The train eventually returned to Paris to switch to a different TGV, with passengers receiving meal kits due to depleted onboard supplies.

Passengers on a TGV high-speed train from Paris to Nice endured a grueling six-hour delay on Friday, battling technical malfunctions and extreme heat. The journey, initially set to depart at 2:10 PM, was first delayed by over an hour due to a "technical problem." Shortly after departure, the train stopped for about 30 minutes in a tunnel near Limeil-Brévannes in Val-de-Marne.

I was in the carriage where the air conditioning worked, but there was one that didn't, and it was 48°C and people fainted.

— a passengerDescribing the extreme heat in non-air-conditioned train cars.

Inside the carriages, the situation escalated as the air conditioning failed in some cars. "It was a nightmare. There were panic attacks in the wagons, no more air, no more water..." one passenger told BFMTV. While water bottles were distributed, supplies dwindled. The bar car reportedly became an impromptu infirmary.

It was a nightmare. There were panic attacks in the wagons, no more air, no more water...

— a passengerDescribing the conditions inside the train during the breakdown.

"I was in the carriage where the air conditioning worked, but there was one that didn't, and it was 48°C and people fainted," another passenger recounted. The train eventually returned to Paris to switch to a different TGV. "In the second train, they gave us a meal kit because there wasn't enough food at the bar," the passenger added, expressing regret. The train finally arrived in Nice around 1 AM.

On est retourné à Paris, on a changé de train et on a refait 6 heures de voyage.

— a passengerExplaining the decision to return to Paris and switch trains.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Le Figaro in French. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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