One Million Franc Reward Announced by Government

Death Toll Rises to 7; 60 remain on Injured List, 10 critical

The death toll from yesterday's bomb blast in the Place Saint-Michel RER station climbed to seven by this evening. Of the 60 remaining victims, 29 were still in hospital, 10 critically injured.

One of the dead remains unidentified tonight.

The fully loaded RER commuter train pulled into the underground station at almost exactly 17:30 yesterday, 25. July. The blast occurred before the blocked doors of the tightly packed wagon six opened.

One witness, who did not intend to leave the train, described being blown out the door to the quai. He returned to the wrecked wagon in a daze to search for a backpack and his shoes. When he saw the state of the interior, he abandoned his belongings and managed to get out of the station, and catch another train headed south; to rejoin his family. Suffering today from shock in hospital, the police visited him there to try and recover his clothing, to examine it for traces of the explosive.

The Minister of the Interior, Mr Jean-Louis Debre, appeared on the news show tonight, to announce a government reward of one million francs for information leading to the capture of the perpetrators. He did not want to speculate about the possible origins of the terrorist device.

Investigators are meanwhile taking apart the wreckage of the damaged train, parked on a siding at Denfert-Rochereau, and were preparing a report on their findings. A spokesman estimated it could take several days just the learn the composition of the bomb, which was estimated to have been between three and five kilos in weight.

Security forces in Paris and throughout France were on high alert today. The RATP, the organization responsible for Paris' transport, had 3000 agents, on the scene this morning throughout the transport system. RATP runs 600 trains on 200 kilometres of track in Paris and suburbs, and transports nine million people daily.

Mr Debre said there had been the usual number of crank calls, claiming responsibility for the atrocity, but none had appeared serious so far.

There were also a larger number of bomb alerts than usual in the capitol. The major commuter underground crossroad at Chatelet was cleared at 16:00 this afternoon, as was the Virgin Megastore on the Champs-Elysees. Late this afternoon, a doubled police squad were combing the Parc des Princes football stadium in anticipation of the game scheduled for tonight. Security was also stepped up considerably at both ends of Eurotunnel. Passport checks were reinstated at all frontier crossings in France.

PLO chairman Yasser Arafat's arrival at Orly airport, south of Paris, was mobbed by security forces.

This coming weekend marks France's annual summer 'Grand Depart,' when the greatest number of travelers on holiday will crowd onto all available transportation systems. The RATP announced that it would dedicate all the personal it could find to aid voyagers on their way, and provide a reassuring show of force.

It has been eight years and 11 months since the last mortal bomb incidents in Paris. Because of the vast number of foreign embassies, Paris' pivotal geographic position in Europe, its relatively free access, and France's traditional hospitality to scores of various exile groups, there has always been a high level of security consciousness; reflected by a large number of visible uniformed police and security forces.

Paris itself is not a big city, but 12 million people live in the metropolitan area. The public transport system is extensive and is heavily patronized, according to the RATP statistics.

Adding the number of visitors that pass through Paris each year, and taking into account all of the other factors, the public security problem... is a problem of gigantic proportions. The manpower required to guard every nook and cranny is just not available, and if it were, ordinary citizens would have no room left to move.

As anybody who is only moderately informed knows, from newspapers and television news, there are a lot of lunatics around; and perhaps Paris has a potential to have more than its fair share of them.

That the opposite seems to be true, is small solace to yesterday's innocent victims. Victims of some lunatic's idea of public relations.

Return to Richard Erickson's Paris Journal

Updated 07/95