Power outage plunges Pakistan into darkness

“A blackout across the country was caused by a sudden drop in the frequency of the power transmission system,” said Pakistani Energy Minister Omar Ayub Khan said on twitter. He asked people across the country to remain calm.

In a note, the Ministry of Energy said that, according to an initial report, there was a failure at the Guddu Thermal Power Plant in the southern Pakistani province of Sindh, which caused plant closures across the country.

“There are long lines outside gas stations in the city, cars line up while people buy fuel for their backup generators. I was in line, people waited for hours with gas cans in their hands,” said Akbar Saifi , a resident in Karachi.

Efforts are underway to restore energy in various parts of the country. Much of Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city, still lacks power, according to information released by K-Electric, a company that supplies power to the city.

At 6:44 am Local Sunday morning, Energy Minister Omar Ayub Khan tweeted that power had been restored in important parts of the capital, Islamabad.

Abdullah Khan, a spokesman for PIA, Pakistan’s main airline, said all flight operations continue to function despite a power outage.

“All the major airports in the country have backup generators,” he said.

Power outages are not uncommon in Pakistan and most large hospitals, airports and other institutions have their own generators. Those who can afford it often keep gasoline generators at home in case of power outages.