Minister Blames Monkey for Sri Lanka's Nationwide Power Cut
A nationwide power outage in Sri Lanka has been attributed to a monkey that entered a power station near Colombo. The incident occurred around 11:00 local time on Sunday.
Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody stated that the monkey came into contact with a grid transformer, causing an imbalance in the system. Power was gradually restored to the island's 22 million residents, with priority given to medical facilities and water purification systems.
The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) said that the outage resulted from an emergency at a substation. They also stated that they were making every effort to restore power quickly.
Social media users criticized the authorities and made jokes about the situation. One X user wrote, "Only in Sri Lanka can a monkey inside a power substation cause an islandwide power outage."
A report released prior to the incident stated that engineers have been warning the government for years to improve the power grid to avoid frequent blackouts. Sri Lanka experienced widespread blackouts and electricity rationing during an economic crisis in 2022.
