500 households in Mechelen (Antwerp Province) have been without electricity since 11am on Friday. 6 commercial premises, including 2 supermarkets, are also without power as is the AZ Sint-Maarten hospital. It won’t be until late afternoon at the earliest before power has been restored. The power cut has been caused by a faulty cable.
Power cut leaves hospital, supermarkets and 500 families in Mechelen without electricity
Published:
Eef De Vos of the electricity grid management company Fluvius told VRT News that "Just after 11am we received reports of a power cut at Mechelen-Noord, between the Antwerpsesteenweg and the N16”.
"A total of 500 households and 6 companies, including the Delhaize and Aldi supermarkets are without power. The AZ Sint-Maarten hospital has also been impacted by the power cut”.
"The cause is a faulty cable. The cable has not been damaged by excavation work but was damaged slightly when it was laid. Water infiltration into the cable can cause a short circuit."
"Workers from Fluvius are reparing the cable. In order to do so they have dug up the road at the junction of the Antwerpsesteenweg met de Eikestraat in Mechelen. The work will take several hours and it presumably won’t be until the end of the afternoon until power has been restored”.