France is on high security alert with top Paris tourist attractions evacuated over the weekend due to fears of a potential attack.
29.09.2023 - 15:27 / euronews.com / Angela Symons
Sightings of bedbugs on French trains have spiked in recent weeks.
Social media users have reported bites and shared videos and photos of carriages allegedly infested with the blood-sucking bugs.
Usually confined to hotels and homes, the problem appears to have spread to the Paris metro system and some cinemas in the capital.
National rail operator SNCF has denied that its trains are infested with the insects but has also said it will be vigilant over the coming weeks.
Paris City Hall has asked for urgent action from the state to combat the issue ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games.
Last week, a passenger travelling on a TGV train from Marseille to Paris reported the presence of bedbugs to the train conductor.
Passengers in the carriage were informed that they could request a refund for their ticket, French daily newspaper Le Parisien reports.
Two other sightings were reported in the same week on other SNCF trains.
Seraient-ce des punaises de lit dans vos trains @SNCFVoyageurs@SNCFConnect ????? pic.twitter.com/NyJKrdtvy0
The train operator reassured Le Parisien that it carries out regular preventative treatment against pests and has not had any confirmed presence of bedbugs on its trains in recent months.
Sightings have not been limited to SNCF trains. Last Friday, a passenger travelling with low-cost train operator Ouigo posted a video on X - formerly Twitter - of an insect resembling a bedbug on her seat.
It was accompanied by the caption, “Ouigo, remember to disinfect your trains, thank you”.
Même dans le TGV y’a des punaises purée
France is on high security alert with top Paris tourist attractions evacuated over the weekend due to fears of a potential attack.
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Here’s a sentence I never thought I’d write: bed bugs have taken over the city of Paris, and we are now faced with the prospect that the outbreak could travel overseas. The infestation began just before Paris Fashion Week (yes, these bugs have good taste), when reports broke of increased sightings of the insects in homes, cinemas, trains and even hospitals. Now, questions are being asked about the safety of traveling to and from Paris; what we can do to prevent the spread, and whether the critters are already settling in our mattresses. Below, we answer all your questions about travel and the bed bug spread.