Jakarta, Indonesia Sentinel — A monkey caused a nationwide blackout in Sri Lanka on Sunday (February 9) after interfering with an electrical substation. The nationwide power outage in the country home to 22 million people, has affecting millions of people.
According to Sri Lanka’s Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody, the animal entered the facility undetected and came into contact with a power transformer, triggering an imbalance in the grid. “A monkey made contact with our transmission transformer, which led to a system imbalance,” Jayakody said on Sunday, as reported by CNBC Indonesia.
The incident then resulted in a complete blackout across Sri Lanka, affecting millions. According to report, the outage originated in a substation on the southern outskirts of Colombo.
As investigations into the nationwide power outage continue, the Sri Lankan Ministry of Energy has issued an apology for the disruption and assured the public that restoration efforts are underway. “Technicians are working to restore power as quickly as possible,” Jayakody said.
The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) confirmed the power cut was caused by an emergency at a substation south of Colombo but did not provide further details. “We are making every effort to restore the island-wide power failure as soon as possible,” the CEB said in a statement.
The blackout began around 11:30 a.m. local time and lasted more than three hours. While electricity was gradually restored in some areas, the full extent of the disruption remained unclear. Hospitals and businesses across Sri Lanka has relied on generators to maintain operations.
According to a recent report from Daily Mirror, full power restoration was achieved around 6 p.m. local time.
Sri Lankans Voice Frustration
According to Firstpost, public quickly took to social media to seek answers following the nationwide blackout in Sri Lanka. “Is there an all-island electricity failure going on?” one user asked on the r/SriLanka subreddit.
Users soon confirmed that power had been cut across Colombo, Galle, and several other regions. Many expressed frustration over enduring hours-long outages in extreme heat, with temperatures exceeding 30°C (86°F) in most urban areas. In Ratnapura, high humidity made conditions feel as hot as 36°C (97°F), according to AccuWeather.
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Following the power outage, some netizens also highlighted related issue such as drop in internet connectivity likely due to cell towers losing power, and water shortages possibly caused by electric pumps and motors shutting down. Some residents also pointed out that frequent blackouts, particularly on weekends, have become a recurring issue.
Blackout Incident
Sri Lanka has experienced several nationwide blackouts in recent years. In the summer of 2022, the country endured months of prolonged power cuts amid a severe economic crisis. Fuel shortages forced thermal power plants to limit electricity supply, leading to daily outages lasting up to 13 hours.
(Raidi/Agung)
