From front pages of today's IHT and Libe :
Caption : All Paris papers feature Bomb Blast story in this morning's
editions. (Image credit: Erickson)
Massive Security Rolls Into Place After RER Bomb Blast
Death Toll Rises
Richard Erickson's Paris Journal - Freelance Correspondent to the Paris Pages
All images copyright (c) 26 July 1995 Richard Erickson - used with permission
Paris, Wednesday, 26. July 1995:- A fifth victim of yesterday's
afternoon bomb blast in the RER station at Place Saint-Michel, died
early this morning.
All the victims of the blast, which occurred about 17:30 yesterday in
the underground station of the RER line 'B,' were removed from the site
by 20:00 and transported - some by helicopter - to city hospitals. At
noon today, 15 remained on the critical list, and another 62 were less
seriously injured.
Across Seine from blast, a victim being loaded into civil
defense helicopter by emergency doctors and firemen, for evacuation to
Paris' area hospital. (Image Credit: Antenne 2)
Within minutes of the explosion, Plan 'Rouge' kicked into action,
sending 300 medical, fire department, evacuation, and security
personal rushing to the scene. Besides knocking lines 'B' and 'C' of the
RER out of service to commuters, security services overwelmed the left
bank in the Latin Quarter, and completely scrambled rush-hour traffic
heading west along the Seine.
Claude Sempère of A2 TV news at 13:00, interviewing
owner of left-bank cafe, 'Le Depart Saint-Michel,' used last night as
emergency aid station. Owner said waiters not only assisted medical
personal, but passed out cool drinks to rescue workers in street
outside cafe.
(Image Credit: Antenne 2)
According to a TV news report, broadcast at 13:00 today by Antenne
2, not all of the victims have been positively identified. Hotline
numbers were set up and in operation last night, to assist relatives
seeking news of the victims. The organization 'SOS Attentat' (Criminal
outrage), formed after the series of bombings in Paris in 1986, swung
into action to aid the relatives of victims.
Despite considerable speculation last night about the identity of the
authors of the attack, no one has so far claimed responsibility. A
government spokesman said that no threats had been received recently.
Today, starting with the first metro and RER trains, 3000 agents were
in place to assure security. Meanwhile, frontier police filled all of
France's international airports and manned border crossings, to check
all passengers and travelers, and to re-institute passport checks; only
recently suspended for inter-European travelers.
PLO chairman Yasser Arafat, in interview in Paris today,
shown on A2 news tonight; condemned 'blind' terrorism.
(Image Credit: Antenne 2)
Security was especially dense at Orly airport, just south of Paris, in
anticipation of the arrival, this morning, of PLO chairman, Yasser
Arafat.
Yesterday's blast reminded Parisians of a murderous series of bombings
in the 1980's that cumulated in September 1986, with five bombings
that claimed nine lives and left scores injured.
Return to Richard Erickson's Paris Journal
Updated 07/95
