Power was restored across Pakistan after a massive blackout

Power was restored in Pakistan on Sunday, falling into darkness the night before after a massive power cut, government officials said.

The blackout affected all major cities, including the capital Islamabad, the main financial center Karachi and the second largest metropolitan area Lahore.

Power cuts have been frequent in Pakistan, which has been facing a prolonged energy crisis for years and has a complex and shattered distribution system. Many of its 210 million inhabitants are without power for long hours each day, and the phenomenon is exacerbated during the hot summer months.

Energy Minister Omar Ayub Khan said the disruption was caused by a “technical fault” that occurred at 11:41 pm local time on Saturday in the south of the country, triggering a chain reaction affecting several power plants. At the press conference.

Experts are trying to determine the cause on Sunday, the minister said, adding that it will take time as the area is still covered with thick fog.

A spokesman for the National Electricity Company (NTDC) assured that “electricity has been restored to the whole of Pakistan”.

The incident forced hospitals to resort to their backup generators, but their operations were not affected.

NetBlocks, a non-governmental organization that records Internet interruptions, said on its Twitter account that connectivity in Pakistan had dropped to “62 percent on a regular basis” after the power outage.

It is the second major power outage in Pakistan since May 2018, three years after the power was partially cut off for more than nine hours.

In 2015, the government said that 80% of the country, including major cities, was already plunged into darkness due to power cuts. From Balochistan (southwest).

The blackout, one of the most serious in Pakistan’s history, also affected one of the international airports.