Nationwide blackout in Pakistan 9 January 2021

Nationwide blackout in Pakistan, country has been hit by nationwide blackout, leaving hundreds of millions of people without power, officials and residents say. It was not immediately clear how long it may last.

The incident began at 11:45 p.m. on Saturday when power failures were reported in all major cities, including Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, and Rawalpindi. It appeared to be nationwide.

Senator Faisal Javed Khan said the blackout was “countrywide” and caused by a sudden frequency drop in the power transmission system. “We are told that the technical fault will be restored shortly, Insha’Allah,” he said.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Energy said the frequency drop was caused by a fault at Guddu at 11:41 p.m. “Power plants have been shut down due to falling frequencies,” the ministry said.

An hours-long blackout hit Pakistan back in January 2015, leaving up to 80 percent of the country without electricity. If Saturday’s blackout is confirmed to be nationwide, it would be one of the biggest in world history.