Power outage leaves 20,000 families without electricity in Belgium

Around 20,000 families were left without electricity on Thursday following a major power outage affecting four municipalities in Belgium's East Flanders province, local authorities and energy distributor Fluvius said, according to public broadcaster VRT.

The outage affected Zottegem, Herzele, Erpe-Mere and Brakel after an Elia high-voltage cable was struck at around 8.50 am local time (0750GMT), causing a major distribution substation in Zottegem to fail.

The incident disrupted approximately 400 power distribution substations serving the region, leaving thousands of households without electricity.

Fluvius said it was working to restore power but could not yet provide an estimate of how long the outage would last.

"This outage certainly has a major impact. We are working with all our might to rectify the situation," the company said.

A crisis meeting involving emergency services was also being held in Zottegem to assess the situation and coordinate assistance, Zottegem Mayor Evelien De Both said.

The outage also affected AZ Sint-Elisabeth Hospital in Zottegem, where the emergency generator was unable to supply all medical equipment.

All scheduled procedures were canceled, and hospital chief physician Manuel Valcke advised patients to seek treatment at another hospital.