Authorities are looking into the significant blackouts that occurred in France on Saturday, coinciding with the Cannes Film Festival.
This incident disrupted traffic in the Alpes-Maritimes region, affecting around 160,000 homes, according to reports.
An RTE spokesperson noted, “A high voltage line collapsed on Saturday morning.”
Festival organizers mentioned that the blackout affected various activities earlier in the day.
They assured that all planned events, including the closing ceremony, would continue as originally scheduled. The cause of the blackout is still unclear, but recovery efforts are currently in progress.
Electricity was restored by around 3 PM, but law enforcement is treating the incident as a potential act of arson.
Le Monde provided additional insights into the abrupt power failure. Reports indicate that a fire at a high voltage substation caused the initial outages, with a significant electric pylon later becoming severely damaged in Billeneuve-Loubet. Prosecutors cited “malicious conduct” as a possible factor, noting that three of the pylon’s four supporting pillars had been compromised.
Following the blackout, Eric Ciotti, a notable political figure, described the situation on social media as “very serious.”
He emphasized the need for clarity, suggesting that the damage to the pylons and the fires could indicate intentional actions, possibly even terrorism.
Earlier this year, there were reports about incidents of infrastructure sabotage, with a noted increase in politically motivated attacks.
“It’s somewhat surprising how frequently these incidents occur, with various groups attributing electricity or internet disruptions to their ideologies, viewing them as obstacles to change,” the reports suggested.
