Nationwide Power Outage Hits Sri Lanka, Restoration Underway

Sri Lanka faces challenges as authorities work to restore power following a nationwide outage that temporarily disrupted hospitals and other essential services.

Amid the turmoil, Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody cited a monkey’s interference with a transformer as the cause of the blackout, deduced to be an emergency situation at a sub-station located south of Colombo. The power disruption forced medical facilities and water purification plants to rely on generators, as engineers are actively engaged in restoring electricity to the island’s 22 million residents. The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) confirmed efforts are underway to return service and avoid further complications, recalling the significant blackouts from the country's economic crisis in 2022.