Sabotage Causes Power Cut in Nice

A widespread power outage struck the French coastal city of Nice late Saturday into Sunday, leaving tens of thousands without electricity.

Authorities attributed the blackout to an act of sabotage, just hours after a similar disruption occurred in the nearby city of Cannes.

According to the city council of Nice and the local electricity provider, the outage affected around 45,000 homes as well as Nice Côte d’Azur Airport, one of France’s busiest international airports.

Local prosecutors reported that a fire broke out overnight at a substation in the Moulins district, a neighborhood known for its links to drug trafficking. The fire is believed to have caused the disruption, which hit the western part of the city.

This incident came shortly after a separate power failure impacted Cannes and its surrounding suburbs. Though the two outages happened within hours of each other, officials have not confirmed a direct connection between them.

Sources from the national gendarmerie suggested that the Cannes-area blackout was likely caused by a deliberate fire at a high-voltage facility in Tanneron, located in the neighboring Var department.

The incident occurred during the closing ceremony of the 78th Cannes Film Festival, raising concerns over the timing and potential intent behind the disruption.