Eurostar passengers are facing severe disruptions due to a cable theft near Lille, France, prompting officials to advise travelers to cancel or postpone their journeys.

The situation is exacerbated by two fatalities that occurred on June 24, which further complicated service as trains and personnel were out of position.

Authorities in France have launched an investigation into the theft, which is suspected to be sabotage, especially in light of the ongoing NATO summit in the Netherlands.

This incident marks another occurrence of cable theft affecting SNCF operations, with a similar theft reported in October 2024.

SNCF has reported that TGV trains are being diverted due to the theft, but limited capacity on conventional lines is causing additional delays.

Repair teams are actively working to restore infrastructure, with one track already reopened, allowing limited train services to run.

The UK Foreign Office has issued guidelines for affected passengers, urging them to check real-time updates and consider postponing non-essential travel.

Travelers are advised not to go to the station unless they have a valid ticket or have rebooked onto a running service.

Eurostar and SNCF have announced they will reimburse accommodation costs up to €300 for affected passengers.

The cable theft incident has caused widespread disruption, similar to a recent event in Spain where vital signaling cable theft affected over 10,000 passengers.

Passengers have reported distressing experiences, including difficulties in finding alternative transportation and the lack of customer service during the chaos.

The severity of the delays was highlighted by one train that was still navigating tunnels in northern France at 9:45 PM, hours after its scheduled arrival.