The imposed "holiday" was not a present from Santa, but instead was due to a power failure in the Zaltbommel area caused by one of the world's most formidable war machines, an Apache Helicopter. Just after 7pm on Tuesday evening The Royal Netherlands Air Force Apache helicopter touched power cables crossing the River Waal, part of the Rhine, causing a loss of power to over 50,000 households and many local businesses, including Duran Audio's factory.
Gerrit Duran, founder and President of Duran Audio, commented: "I was at home on Wednesday evening when I heard a strange low frequency sound. I went outside to investigate and to my amazement I saw an Apache helicopter with its search lights activated looking for a clear space to land! Shortly afterwards the alarm company rang to tell me that there had been a power loss at the factory and the news reports started coming in on the TV. It soon became clear what had happened."
On a serious note this was far from a "holiday" for employees who live locally; many of them are without power or heating! Early indications are that the power will be restored on Friday so hopefully tomorrow will be business as usual.
(Lee Baldock)
