A major power cut across southern France left around 160,000 homes without electricity on Saturday and impacted the town of Cannes, which is currently hosting its annual international film festival.
French authorities are investigating suspected acts of sabotage after a major power outage affected 160,000 homes in southern France on Saturday, temporarily disrupting the closing day of the prestigious Cannes Film Festival.
Coordinated Infrastructure Attacks
The outage, which began around 10 a.m. local time, was the result of coordinated attacks on electrical infrastructure, according to Laurent Hottiaux, the prefect for the Alpes-Maritimes region. Investigators found evidence of arson at an electrical substation west of Cannes and damage to a high-voltage transmission tower east of the city.
"All resources are mobilized to identify, track down, arrest and bring to justice the perpetrators of these serious acts of damage to electrical infrastructures," Hottiaux stated in an official release.
In Cannes, the power cut temporarily disrupted festival activities, with traffic lights failing throughout parts of the city and most shops along the famous Croisette boulevard remaining closed. Many food kiosks were only accepting cash, and train service in the area was also affected.
Festival Continues Despite Challenges
Cannes Film Festival organizers quickly activated backup generators at the Palais des Festivals, enabling the prestigious event's closing ceremony—including the much-anticipated Palme d'Or award—to proceed as scheduled. Power was restored to most affected areas by 3 p.m., approximately five hours after the initial outage.
"All scheduled events and screenings, including the Closing Ceremony, will proceed as planned and under normal conditions," festival officials announced midday.
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