Massive Power Outage Triggered by Falling Tree

A massive power outage that left large areas of Phnom Penh without electricity and water and plunged southern Vietnam into darkness on Wednesday was caused by a crane operator knocking a tree onto a high voltage power line, Vietnam’s state-owned energy provider said yesterday. ... “A crane with the registration number 61P-3745 broke safety regulations, which led to widespread outages in the Southern region of Vietnam,” the Southern Power Corporation, which is owned by Vietnam Electricity Group, said in a statement. ... The state-owned newspaper, Than Nien, reported that the incident had cost the Southern Power Corporation and estimated $7000, 000 in lost revenue. ... An official at Cambodia’s state-owned energy provider Eletricite du Cambodge...said that no one yet had estimated how much the incident had cost the firm. ... However he did say the outage had meant Cambodia’s national grid had lost 40 percent of its capacity during the hours without electricity. ... The blackout hit the tourist thronged river front area and left scores of hotels restaurants and offices throughout the city in darkness. ...

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