Sri Lanka witnessed a nationwide power outage on February 9. It was triggered by a monkey.
The incident which occurred at an electrical grid substation in a southern suburb of Colombo resulted in an island-wide blackout.
Many residents were affected for several hours due to the power outage.
Monkey triggers grid failure in Sri Lanka
The power disruption which began around 11:30 am continued for three hours. Even after three hours later, electricity had not been fully restored.
Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody confirmed that the monkey had come in contact with a transformer that resulted in an imbalance in the grid system.
Though some area saw restoration of power, the issue is not resolved completely. Officials assured the public that efforts were underway to bring back normalcy as soon as possible.
Sri Lanka’s past power challenges
The blackout reminded many Sri Lankans of the electricity crisis in 2022. During the crisis, the country faced prolonged power cuts due to an economic downturn.
Although the current outage was caused by a stray animal, it highlighted the vulnerability of the power grid disruptions.
Authorities continue to assess the situation.
