PARIS, May 24. /TASS/. The French National Gendarmerie named a sabotage attack as a possible cause of the major power outage in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the country’s south, France 3 television reported.
"According to the Alpes-Maritimes gendarmerie, one of the two malicious acts that led to the blackout was arson committed at the high-voltage substation in the Tanneron commune," the report said.
The cause of the second incident has not yet been determined, according to the television channel.
France 3 reported earlier on Saturday, citing grid operator RTE, that he power outage occurred after two incidents: First, a fire damaged a local electrical substation, and then a support of a high-voltage line collapsed near Cannes. As a result, lights went out in about 160,000 homes, the train service came to a halt, and the Cannes Film Festival suffered some disruptions as it was preparing for the Closing Ceremony on Saturday.