French police are investigating a possible arson attack as the cause of a power outage that affected the Alpes-Maritimes region in southern France on Saturday, including the city of Cannes, currently hosting its annual film festival.
“We are looking into the likelihood of a fire being started deliberately,” a spokesperson for the French national gendarmerie stated, adding that no arrests have been made.
Earlier on Saturday, the local authority for the Alpes-Maritimes region reported a major electricity outage in the western part of the area, including Cannes, and stated that RTE France, the national electricity transmission system operator, was working to restore power.
Despite the outage, the Cannes Film Festival confirmed that its closing ceremony would proceed as scheduled on Saturday evening.
“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,” the festival said in a statement.
The investigation is ongoing as authorities work to determine the exact cause of the power outage and whether it was indeed the result of a deliberate act.
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