Over 20,000 Homes Lose Power After Substation Explosion in Enschede, Netherlands
A powerful explosion at an electrical substation in the northern part of Enschede, a Dutch city near the German border, left more than 20,000 homes without power on Tuesday morning. The blast injured a technician, who was taken to a hospital by ambulance for treatment, according to regional outlet RTV Oost.
Local grid operator Enexis reported the outage at 11:02 a.m. local time (09:02 GMT) and stated that 20,597 customers were affected. “Our technicians are on their way to resolve the issue,” Enexis noted in a brief public statement, without specifying the cause of the explosion.
Images shared on social media show traffic lights out of service and shops closed throughout Enschede. While the city’s central hospital remains operational, there are reports of residents—particularly in a nursing home—being trapped in elevators. Additionally, railway crossing barriers remain down, blocking vehicle traffic between parts of the city.
Authorities have not yet released a formal explanation for the explosion, and an investigation is underway.