Trams stop, museums close as power cut hits Amsterdam

Amsterdam’s bustling city centre was hit by a major power cut on Friday, closing down museums and bringing trams to a halt, the Dutch capital’s power network provider said.

The city centre “experienced a large power cut after an electricity cable was cut during excavations” just south of Amsterdam’s historical canal belt, Liander announced on its website.

“Some 28,000 households are without power,” it said.

Amsterdam’s famous Rijksmuseum was evacuated and will remain closed together with the nearby Alard Pierson Museum, news reports added.

Elsewhere on the city’s famous Museum Square, the Van Gogh and Stedelijk Museum of modern art however remain open to the public, Dutch public broadcaster NOS reported.