Blackout in Karachi

KARACHI - Almost whole of Karachi plunged into darkness when 500 KV main transmission line developed a technical fault, leaving most parts of the city without electricity on Wednesday.
According to sources, most of the grid stations of Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) tripped and suspension of power supply from Bin Qasim and Korangi Gas Turbine led to this breakdown which sent 90 per cent of the city into darkness.
The transmission line tripped in the evening due to overloading and power supply suspended for the first time. Reliable sources in the KESC said that Bin Qasim power plant, Korangi Tharmal Power plant and gas turbine of Site and other power plants developed fault accidentally that led to the power failure.
Inside sources said that recovery of the main transmission line of WAPDA and restoration of power to the units of Karachi would take five hours.
Work at the Quaid-i-Azam Airport was also affected due to the power breakdown. The power breakdown affected water supply to several Karachi areas from Dhabaji pumping station. KESC authorities were struggling hard for the restoration of power to Karachi city.
Traffic signals across the city also stopped functioning, leading to huge traffic jams in the metropolis.