The operator of the Paris metro system, the RATP, has apologised after hundreds of passengers on multiple lines were blocked underground on Wednesday in stifling temperatures and at the height of rush hour, reports FRANCE 24.
Five trains on busy Line 4 were stuck from around 6pm local time and had to wait underground between stations.
Multiple separate incidents in a short space of time led to the delay, which began due to a signalling issue. Later, at around 6:45pm, a woman got her bag stuck in a door at Cité metro station, triggering an alarm. Some trains were then unable to restart due to technical problems.
Later on Wednesday evening, the entire metro Line 13 was stuck from 8:30-10pm due to a computer failure, but passengers were able to exit at stations. A broken-down train in the northern suburb of Seine-Saint-Denis also disrupted traffic on the B and D routes of the RER (suburban commuter trains).
“We got stuck in unbearable heat,” Oussama El Cherif, 19, told AFP. After a long wait between two stations, he joined several other passengers to "walk along the rails" to get out.
Some 125 RATP agents were deployed to manage the incident, with passenger evacuations starting around 7:50pm.
Social media users shared footage of passengers crammed inside the carriages and expressing concern about the well-being of babies and the elderly on board.