A monkey’s intrusion at a Sri Lankan electrical grid sub-station caused a nationwide power outage on Sunday, disrupting electricity supply across the island, government officials confirmed.

The blackout, which began at approximately 11:30 AM local time (0600 GMT), left large parts of the country without power for several hours. Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody stated that the disruption was triggered when the monkey came into contact with a grid transformer, causing an imbalance in the system.

The incident occurred in a suburb south of Colombo, with engineers dispatched immediately to restore power. While electricity was gradually reinstated in some areas, officials were unable to provide a clear timeline for full restoration.

"Engineers are attending to it to try and restore the service as soon as possible," Jayakody said.

Sri Lanka has faced severe power shortages in the past. In the summer of 2022, amid a deep economic crisis, the country endured prolonged daily blackouts lasting up to 13 hours as fuel stations ran dry, forcing thermal power plants to ration electricity.

Authorities are now investigating the circumstances of the latest outage to prevent similar incidents in the future. (ILKHA)