Possible explosion at Enschede power station injures one; Thousands without electricity

A power outage occurred in Enschede on Wednesday morning after a possible explosion at a substation on the Vechtstraat in the city in Twente. A worker was injured during the incident and it led to the power outage which began at 11 a.m. and lasted for around two hours.

A nearby resident said that she heard a huge bang at the high volate substation on Wednesday morning, Tubantia reported. A spokesperson for the safety region has no knowledge of an explosion. He added that the Labor Inspectorate will have to investigate the events. Paramedics and firefighters were dispatched to the Vechtstraat at about 11:05 a.m., records show.

Over 20,500 homes were affected by the power outage in Enschede and the nearby villages of Lonneker and Glanerbrug were affected. The hospital in Enschede was not affected by the outage, nor was The University of Twente. The regional newspaper Tubantia were hit by the power outage, “colleagues kept the website working with their laptops,” said the site's editor Daan Bonenkamp. Many stores, restaurants, and museums were forced to close due to the incident.

Emergency personnel had to rescue at least six reports of people who were stuck in elevators as a result of the power outage. People are often stuck inside residential buildings or care institutions elevators during power outages.