Dead pigeon causes terror scare at Paris station
A series of large bangs made by electrocuted bird sends passengers running at the Gard du Nord station
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A burst of unexplained noises Sunday afternoon caused panic and confusion at the Gare du Nord train station in Paris, where citizens are on edge after terror attacks earlier this month that killed 130 people.
A number of loud bangs were heard at the busy station in what some passengers mistook for gunfire.
However, Stephane Brossard of the Paris police told the Associated Press that the noises were not gunshots or explosions but instead caused by a pigeon that got electrocuted on the train tracks.
In a sign of the nervousness that has swept through Paris since the attacks, witnesses went on social media to describe how passengers ran out of their trains after hearing the noises.
I'm in gare du nord (train station in paris) and there was a flash, followed by a boom omg…
— crystaℓ got noticed by baekhyun (@dulcecocos) November 22, 2015
https://twitter.com/SagarShah18/status/668405632005984256
The fate of the pigeon wasn’t immediately clear.
The French national rail operator, SNCF, later said the pigeon was believed to have landed and been “grillé” on the powered cables above the tracks, according to the Independent.
This is not the first time since the November 13 attacks that a false alarm has sparked fear in a Parisian crowd.
Shortly after the attacks someone, reportedly let off a firecracker near a memorial service in the city’s Plaza de Republique, sending panicked participants running in all directions.
The Times of Israel Community.