A second power outage in two days has hit the French Riviera region after a fire at a substation in Nice overnight, which authorities said was caused by a malicious act.

French police were investigating a possible arson attack as being the main cause for a power outage which hit the Alpes-Maritimes region in southern France on Saturday, including Cannes which is hosting its world-famous annual film festival.

AN “ultra-left anarchist gang” has claimed responsibility for a blackout that plunged 160,000 homes into darkness on the Côte d’Azur – just hours before the Cannes Film Festival awards show.