‘Blackout’ in 21 districts

Power supply has been disrupted in 21 districts of Khulna and Barisal divisions in the southern part of the country due to a problem in the national grid.

The power supply was stopped from 5:48 pm on Saturday.

Sources said that the blackout occurred due to a problem in the national grid in Amin Bazar of Gopalganj.

Mohammad Haider Ali, Managing Director of West Zone Power Distribution Company-Ozopadico Limited, said: “This grid is an important transmission center for electricity generated from Rampal and Payra thermal power plants. It is believed that the problem occurred due to a sudden increase in load due to heat.”

Although power was restored in some places in Khulna city around 8 pm on Saturday, most areas were in darkness.

Meanwhile, 10 upazilas of Barisal district, including the city, were without power for one and a half hours due to this problem.

Power Grid Company of Bangladesh Executive Engineer Md. Akhtaruzzaman Palash said: "Due to a mechanical fault, power supply was cut off in 21 districts from 5:50 pm to 7:30 pm. We still don't know what the fault was. Power supply started to return to normal after 7:30 pm."