A major power cut across France on Saturday affected the town of Cannes, which is currently hosting its annual international film festival. Police are investigating a suspected arson attack.“We are looking into the likelihood of a fire being started deliberately,” said a spokesperson for the French national gendarmerie, adding that no arrests had been made at this stage.Earlier on Saturday, local officials in the Alpes-Maritimes region reported that the western sector, including Cannes, was experiencing a significant power disruption and depriving 160,000 homes of power. RTE France was actively working to restore electrical service to the affected areas, Reuters reported.A widespread power disruption occurred in France’s Alpes-Maritimes region, starting at 10 a.m. local time (4 a.m. ET), as reported by RTE on X. Power was subsequently restored by 4:30 p.m. local time (10:30 a.m. ET).Local authorities indicated the blackout was intentional.Mandelieu-La Napoule’s mayor, Sébastien Leroy, stated on Facebook that the incident appeared to result from a “double act of sabotage.”An electrical substation in Tanneron experienced a fire at approximately 4:30 a.m. local time Saturday (10:30 p.m. Friday ET), followed by substantial damage to an electricity pylon later that day, according to Alpes-Maritimes local government.The Alpes-Maritimes prefect, Laurent Hottiaux, issued a statement strongly denouncing “these serious acts of damage.”The power disruption coincided with the final day of the 78th Cannes Film Festival, with the closing ceremony scheduled for the evening.The Cannes Film Festival organisers confirmed that the closing ceremony would proceed as scheduled on Saturday evening. They issued a statement saying, “The Palais des Festivals has switched to an independent power supply, allowing all scheduled events and screenings, including the Closing Ceremony, to proceed as planned and under normal conditions.”
