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Minister blames monkey for Sri Lanka nationwide power cut

George Wright & Kelly Ng
BBC News
Getty Images Fruit stalls are seen in Kirimandala Market during a power cut in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on 12 April 2022.Getty Images
Sri Lanka experienced widespread blackouts amid an economic crisis in 2022

A nationwide blackout in Sri Lanka has been blamed on a monkey that intruded into a power station south of Colombo.

Power is gradually being restored across the island nation of 22 million people, with medical facilities and water purification plants being given priority.

"A monkey has come in with our grid transformer, causing an imbalance in the system," Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody told reporters.

The blackout started at about 11:00 local time (05:30 GMT) on Sunday, forcing many to rely on generators. Officials said it may take a few hours to get power back.

On social media, people criticised the authorities while making fun of the incident.

"A rogue monkey knocked out Sri Lanka's entire power grid after triggering a total failure at a substation in Colombo," X Mario Nawfal wrote.

"One monkey = total chaos. Time to rethink infrastructure":[]}