Watch This | Vandalism on French railways hours before Olympic ceremony

The Paris Olympics will open at 1.30 am (Hong Kong time) on Saturday (July 27), with less than a few hours left. The French national railway operator SNCF said today (July 26) that a number of high-speed rail lines in France have been vandalized and some Eurostar trains have been canceled or diverted, affecting about 800,000 passengers and leaving a large number of passengers stranded at Montparnasse train station.

SNCF pointed out that the country's high-speed rail network was attacked, including arson attacks that disrupted the transport system. SNCF teams are already on the scene to diagnose the situation and begin repairs, and the SNCF said that this was a large-scale attack designed to paralyze the French rail network.

The SNCF added that many trains will have to be canceled and that the situation will continue for at least the whole weekend.

Transport Minister Patrice Vergriete described the acts as criminal. The Paris police chief said he was beefing up security yet further at the capital's main stations.

Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera condemned the vandalism.

"It's completely appalling," she told BFMTV. "To target the games is to target France."