Parts of the villages of Bonneville and Maizeret in the province of Namur are without electricity after a Defence helicopter severed a high-voltage line this afternoon, announced the mayor of Andenne on social media.
The Defence Ministry confirmed the incident and clarified that an NH90 helicopter had to make a precautionary landing in the commune at around 14:15.
No injuries were reported among the four-person crew or local residents.
“The Defence Ministry has dispatched a team to investigate and secure the area. The exact causes leading to this precautionary landing are still being analysed. An assessment of potential damage to the aircraft and the surrounding area is also underway,” the ministry stated. “All of this will be subject to a thorough investigation to identify the precise circumstances of the incident.”
Meanwhile, Andenne mayor Vincent Sampaoli announced on social media that the electrical outage was affecting the residents of Bonneville.
The local utility company AIEG, which manages the electricity network in Andenne, informed Belga that the village of Maizeret was also affected by the outage. However, a technician confirmed that the network should be operational again between 17:00 and 18:00.
