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Winter Olympics/ Italy in panic, railway lines damaged, government: Incidents, serious act of sabotage
2026-02-07 19:30:05 / BOTA
Suspected attacks on northern Italy's rail network have led to severe travel disruptions in the region, authorities say, as thousands of people gathered for the start of the Winter Olympics.
As the BBC writes, police reported three separate incidents involving damage to railway lines, which they believe are related to the Olympics.
A fire engulfed the railway infrastructure between Bologna and Venice, causing delays of up to two and a half hours, and police later found severed cables and an explosive device at nearby locations.
The Transport Ministry called the incidents an act of "serious sabotage", which they said mirrored vandalism during the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Police said a switch was set on fire near Pesaro, on the Adriatic coast. Hours later, police discovered severed electrical cables near Bologna, along with a rudimentary explosive device left by a nearby rail.
Bologna railway station is a major transport hub, connecting cities to the north and south, as well as east-west lines.
"These actions of unprecedented seriousness do not in any way damage Italy's image in the world, an image that the Games will make even more convincing and positive," said Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Matteo Salvini.
A police spokesman previously said they were investigating the incidents and that no one had claimed responsibility.
Salvini compared the events to the Paris Summer Olympics, when saboteurs damaged France's high-speed rail network.
"There are similarities in action and timing with the French incident," he told AFP.
Bologna's state railway was forced to close temporarily, but traffic was returning to normal by Saturday afternoon.
The opening ceremony of the Games took place on Friday evening in Milan, Cortina in northeastern Italy and two other locations. Milan and Cortina are both accessible by train from Venice.
The events take place across hundreds of kilometers of northern Italy, in locations that include the Alps and the Dolomite mountains.
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