Three young people spent an unnerving 48-hours roaming in the dark among the millions of skeletons buried under Paris this week.

"/> Three young people spent an unnerving 48-hours roaming in the dark among the millions of skeletons buried under Paris this week.

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Drunken prank has spooky end in Paris catacombs

Three young people spent an unnerving 48-hours roaming in the dark among the millions of skeletons buried under Paris this week.

Published: 29 July 2011 10:22 CEST

Drunken prank has spooky end in Paris catacombs

Vdegroot/Wikipedia (File)

The two men and one woman were part of a group of five who were reportedly drunk when they went down into Paris’ famous catacombs on Monday evening.

The group became separated with two managing to find their way out. The remaining three, all in their early 20s, were not so fortunate and spent two more days trying to find their way out.

The catacombs in the south of Paris were opened in the late 18th century and hold the remains of an estimated 6 million people.

Thousands of tourists visit certain sections of the tunnels where the skulls and bones of the dead are often arranged into artful or ghoulish displays. There are secret entrances to other parts of the underground network all over the city.

The alarm was not raised until Wednesday at which point 35 police officers went down into the tunnels to look for them.

“At that depth, no telephone network or radio frequency works,” a police spokesman told AFP.

Police eventually came across a piece of paper left by the three which said they were lost and that they had headed towards the south of the tunnel network.

They were eventually found later in the afternoon. The three were in reasonably good health, although one was reported as being in “a state of shock.”

As further punishment, the three are likely to face a fine of up to €135 and a ban on going back into the catacombs.

Fluffy nuisance: Outcry as Paris sends Invalides rabbits into exile

Tourists and Parisians have long been accustomed to the sight of wild rabbits frolicking around the lawns of Les Invalides, one of the French capital’s great landmarks.

But efforts are underway to relocate the fluffy animals, accused of damaging the gardens and drains around the giant edifice that houses Napoleon’s tomb, authorities said.

Police said that several dozen bunnies had been captured since late January and relocated to the private estate of Breau in the Seine-et-Marne region outside Paris, a move that has prompted an outcry from animal rights activists.

“Two operations have taken place since 25 January,” the police prefecture told AFP.

“Twenty-four healthy rabbits were captured on each occasion and released after vaccination” in Seine-et-Marne, the prefecture said.

Six more operations are scheduled to take place in the coming weeks.

Around 300 wild rabbits live around Les Invalides, according to estimates.

“The overpopulation on the site is leading to deteriorating living conditions and health risks,” the prefecture said.

Authorities estimate the cost of restoring the site, which has been damaged by the proliferation of underground galleries and the deterioration of gardens, pipes and flora, at €366,000.

Animal rights groups denounced the operation.

The Paris Animaux Zoopolis group said the rabbits were being subjected to “intense stress” or could be killed “under the guise of relocation”.

“A number of rabbits will die during capture and potentially during transport,” said the group, accusing authorities of being “opaque” about their methods.

The animal rights group also noted that Breau was home to the headquarters of the Seine-et-Marne hunting federation.

The police prefecture insisted that the animals would not be hunted.

In 2021, authorities classified the rabbits living in Paris as a nuisance but the order was reversed following an outcry from animal groups who have been pushing for a peaceful cohabitation with the animals.

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