Southern France blackout: Suspected arson behind major power outage in Cannes during film festival; probe underway
PTC Web Desk: French authorities have launched an investigation into a suspected arson attack believed to be the primary cause of a major power outage that disrupted parts of the Alpes-Maritimes region in southern France on Saturday, including the city of Cannes—currently hosting its internationally renowned film festival.
A spokesperson for the French national gendarmerie confirmed that investigators are “looking into the likelihood of a fire being started deliberately” as a possible origin of the outage. As of now, no arrests have been made, and inquiries are ongoing.
Earlier in the day, regional officials reported a significant electricity disruption affecting the western part of Alpes-Maritimes, which includes Cannes. The French transmission system operator, RTE France, was immediately engaged in efforts to restore the power supply across the impacted areas.
Despite the outage, the Cannes Film Festival confirmed that its scheduled events would proceed without interruption. According to an official statement from the festival organisers, the Palais des Festivals, the venue for the closing ceremony, successfully switched to an independent power source.
“The Palais des Festivals has switched to an independent power supply, allowing all scheduled events and screenings, including the Closing Ceremony, to proceed as planned and under normal conditions,” the statement read.
The incident comes at a critical moment during the festival’s high-profile closing weekend, drawing global attention to the city.
- With inputs from agencies
