BERLIN (AP) – German police are investigating the source of a balloon that caused a massive blackout in and around the city of Dresden.
Authorities said the sheet metal balloon caused a short circuit at an electricity substation in Dresden shortly after 2pm on Monday, causing a power outage that affected hospitals, trams, factories and about 300,000 homes. Dozens of people were trapped in the elevators to electricity about an hour later.
Claudius Rokosch, a spokesman for utility company SachsenEnergie, said on Tuesday that the aluminum-coated carbonized balloon found at the substation had a clear warning not to fly it near electric cables.
Thomas Geithner, a spokesman for Dresden police, said investigators currently have no evidence that the balloon was intentionally aimed at overhead cables.
“We are currently working on the assumption that, at best, it was neglected, or just a coincidence,” he said, adding that the lack of a liability claim also indicated that it was not a politically motivated attack. .
“But we can’t rule it out 100% either,” Geithner said.