Power Blackout in Sri Lanka Blamed on Monkey Incident
A nationwide blackout in Sri Lanka has been attributed to a monkey that broke into a sub-station on the island nation's electrical grid.
Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody informed reporters, "A monkey has come in contact with our grid transformer, causing an imbalance in the system."
The incident occurred in a suburb of south Colombo. Power was gradually being restored late on Sunday, local time.
The Ceylon Electricity Board, Sri Lanka's national power company, confirmed that the power cut was due to an emergency at the south Colombo substation but did not provide further details.
In the summer of 2022, Sri Lankans faced prolonged electricity blackouts during an economic crisis, where the 22 million-strong population had to manage with thermal power stations rationing electricity to only 13 hours a day due to shortages of petrol and diesel.
Meanwhile, Australia's men's cricket team is currently in Sri Lanka, having achieved a clean sweep in their two-Test series against the hosts in Galle on Sunday.
