A large power outage hit southeastern France on Saturday morning. About 160,000 households are without electricity. Cannes, where the annual film festival is currently taking place, is also affected by the outage. Police suspect possible arson.
The power has gone out in the French Maritime Alps region, authorities report on X. That region is on the southeastern coast of France.
Cannes, where the film festival is currently taking place, also falls in that region. Film screenings at the Palais des Festivals suddenly stopped, according to Le Monde and Le Figaro, among others. Visitors were asked to leave. Because the organization switched to emergency power, the films were soon running again.
A total of 160,000 households in the French Maritime Alps are still without electricity. The French network operators RTE and Enedis are working to restore power and apologize for the inconvenience.
The power outage is also causing traffic disruption. For example, images show French police directing traffic in various places because the traffic lights are no longer working. Train traffic is also disrupted in several directions.
French Police Suspect Possible Arson
The cause of the major power outage is still unclear. On the night from Friday to Saturday, a fire broke out in a high-voltage substation in the French municipality of Tanneron, which is located near the Maritime Alps region. That fire is now under control, but may have damaged the local electricity network.
French police suspect possible arson, but do not rule out other causes. “Investigation must reveal the exact cause,” the police told Le Parisien.
Saturday is the last day of the Cannes Film Festival. The presentation of the Golden Palm is on the program: the most important prize of the festival.