A suspected arson attack may be behind the widespread power outage that struck southeastern France, disrupting daily life and briefly halting events at the Cannes Film Festival just hours before its grand finale.
A significant power failure struck southeastern France on Saturday, causing disruption across the Alpes-Maritimes department and briefly impacting the Cannes Film Festival. Electricity network operator RTE reported that about 160,000 homes were left without power after a high-voltage line collapsed.
Festival organizers confirmed that early Saturday activities were affected, but assured that the Palais des Festivals had switched to backup power and all planned events — including the Closing Ceremony — would continue as scheduled. Screenings at the Cineum venue were briefly paused but later resumed.
The outage caused traffic lights in parts of Cannes and neighboring Antibes to fail, resulting in congestion and confusion. Many businesses remained closed, and vendors on the Croisette were only able to accept cash. Train service in the area also experienced interruptions.
Officials stated that efforts to restore power were ongoing and urged residents and visitors to use caution while moving around the region.
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