Cannes, France (AP) – A large power outage struck the south -eastern France on Saturday morning, disturbing traffic and briefly interrupting events in the events Cannes Film Festival As the prestigious event has prepared for put your first prize.
Power was restored around 3 p.m., while the music started exploding speakers by the sea. The end of the power failure was welcomed with noisy cheers of the inhabitants.
Earlier, around 160,000 households from the Alpes-Maritimes department lost electricity after the fall of a high voltage line on Saturday morning, said that the operator of the RTE electricity network said that on X. The breakdown occurred a few hours after a fire in an electric sub-station near Cannes during the night had already weakened the network.
Police opened an investigation into a possible criminal fire.
“We are examining the probability that a fire begins deliberately,” said a spokesperson for the French national gendarmerie.
Cannes Film Festival The organizers confirmed that the breakdown assigned the first activities on Saturday and said that the festivals of the Palais des – The main place of Croisette – had moved to an independent power supply.
The traffic lights are extended during an electricity failure in Cannes, in the south of France, Saturday May 24, 2025. (AP photo / Lewis Joly)
“All scheduled events and projectionsIncluding the closing ceremony, will take place as planned and under normal conditions, “said the press release.” At this point, the cause of the breakdown has not yet been identified. Restoration efforts are underway. »»
Store employees are waiting during an electricity failure in Cannes, in the south of France, Saturday May 24, 2025. (AP photo / Lewis Joly)
The traffic lights in certain parts of Cannes and the city of the surrounding antiboses have stopped operating after 10 hours, which led to traffic jams and confusion in the city centers. Most of the stores along the Croisette remained closed and local food kiosks only accepted money. The Train Service in Cannes has also been disrupted.
The projections of the Cineum, one of the festival satellite sites, were briefly suspended, added the festival.
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