Power outage hits several parts of southern Pakistan

By Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD (AA) – A major electricity outage struck several parts of southern Pakistan, including the financial capital Karachi on Thursday, after power was disrupted due to an "accidental fault" in the transmission system.

"Due to an accidental fault in the country's southern transmission system, several southern power plants are tripping in phases, which is disrupting the transmission of electricity in the southern part of the country," the Ministry of Energy said in a statement.

The ministry added that they are investigating the cause of the fault and will fully restore the power system as soon as possible.

Last year, a major power outage, which was caused by a "technical fault" in the national power distribution system, also hit the country’s capital Islamabad, as well as major cities such as Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Multan, Faisalabad, Hyderabad, and parts of Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

In Jan. 2019, a major outbreak caused by dense fog tripping a circuit of the national grid plunged the southwestern and southern provinces into darkness for hours.