France: Power failure leaves hundreds trapped in trains

France's national rail network SNCF issued an apology on Monday after "a series of electrical supply incidents" halted several trains in southwestern France.

Around 1,000 passengers travelling to Paris on a high-speed TGV train were forced to spend Sunday night on board. The train, which departed from the town of Hendaye on the Spanish border, broke down in the region of Landes on its way to Bordeaux. It had been due to arrive in the capital on Sunday afternoon following a five-hour journey.

At least three other high-speed trains were stuck on the tracks overnight, with the disturbances interrupting other routes, the SNCF said.

A return to normal on the route was not expected until Tuesday.

Read more: Paris imposes mandatory face masks amid rising coronavirus infections

Food supplies depleted

A correspondent for the news agency Agence France-Presse, who was on one of the trains returning home with his family from a holiday, witnessed repeated announcements that the on-board cafe had run out of food and that passengers should refrain from going to ask for something to eat.

Requests were also made for people with medical knowledge after at least one person fainted. The broadcaster France-Info also reported that several people were evacuated from the train for medical reasons.

Food was eventually provided in the early morning before the passengers were transferred onto another train to Bordeaux, finally reaching Paris on Monday around midday.

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Bottles of water and extra face masks were offered to passengers during the night, however, some travelers complained on social media about having to wear face masks for up to 20 hours straight. Face masks have been obligatory on French public transport during the coronavirus pandemic.

One passenger tweeted: "1.15 a.m. Train still stuck on the track. Departure from Biarritz at 3.55 p.m. I will spend the whole night with my wife and two-year old son without food and water. This is where my son is sleeping during full-blown COVID."

Trapped in a 'comedy sketch'

Other passengers expressed similar frustrations with the situation. One father traveling with his young son told AFP: "It's like we're in a comedy sketch."

"This is an exceptional event which created a chain of incidents which resulted.... in the interruption of traffic", network director for the SNCF in southwest France, Jean-Luc Gary, said.

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"Events repeated themselves and are undoubtedly linked to the same cause. What we do not know at this time is what caused what," he added. The network operator has announced that it will carry out a full internal investigation.

SNCF promised to refund passengers three times the cost of what they paid for the original ticket.

The disruptions occurred as millions of people in France are preparing to return to work and school this week, with many returning from their August holidays over the weekend.

ab/rs (AFP, AP)