Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Suspected Sabotage Disrupts Northern Italy Railways as Winter Olympics Open

Investigators are treating the rail damage as deliberate after discovering an improvised device and cut cables near Bologna.

Overview

  • Authorities reported three incidents on key lines, including a rudimentary explosive on a switch between Bologna and Padua, severed power cables on the same route, and a power cabinet fire near Pesaro on the Bologna–Ancona line.
  • Anti-terror specialists have joined the probe and the state rail operator Ferrovie dello Stato has ruled out a technical fault as the cause.
  • Rail traffic through the Bologna hub suffered major disruption, with delays of up to two and a half hours affecting high-speed, Intercity and regional services toward Milan and Venice.
  • Foreign security contingents are patrolling venues under prior agreements, with Qatar’s Lechwija unit and officers labeled “Qatar Polizia” on duty and ICE personnel accompanying U.S. officials.
  • Local environmental groups in Val di Fiemme criticized diesel-powered lighting at provisional parking areas in Tesero, even as competition pressed on with Italy’s Francesca Lollobrigida winning the women’s 3000m speed skating in an Olympic record and a separate avalanche near Predazzo injuring two skitourers seriously.