Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania and much of the Croatian coast experienced a major power outage today, June 21.
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The blackout shut down businesses, knocked out traffic lights and left people without air conditioning in the heat, Reuters reported.
In particular:
- in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo and the cities of Banja Luka and Mostar, traffic came to a standstill as temperatures in some parts of the region reached 40 degrees Celsius;
- in Podgorica, many were left without water because the pumps stopped working. The air conditioners turned off and the ice cream in the tourist shops melted;
- There were also traffic jams in the Croatian coastal city of Split. Ambulance sirens rang out throughout the city;
- Power was restored in Albania within half an hour, but the country remains at high risk of further outages as electricity and heat consumption levels remain high, the government said.
The exact cause of the incident is still being established:
- According to Montenegro’s Energy Minister Saša Mujović, the outage was caused by a sudden increase in electricity consumption caused by high temperatures and the heat itself. He added that experts were still trying to determine where the fault originated;
- Albanian Energy Minister Belinda Baluku said that there was a breakdown on the jumper between Albania and Greece;
- Croatian state news agency HINA, citing unnamed sources, reported that the outage began in Montenegro.
Electricity distribution systems in the Balkans are interconnected, allowing for the transmission and trading of electricity.
According to officials and social media users, power and Wi-Fi disappeared at approximately 13:00 local time. Operators subsequently reported that they had begun to resume deliveries.
Source: Reuters
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.