A monkey caused a nationwide power outage in Sri Lanka on Sunday, throwing the island nation into an unexpected crisis. The power failure, which began at approximately 11:30 am local time (0600 GMT), left millions of Sri Lankans without electricity for several hours.
According to Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody, the incident occurred when a monkey infiltrated an electrical grid sub-station in a southern suburb of Colombo, the country’s capital. The animal’s contact with the grid transformer led to an imbalance in the power system, triggering a general blackout across the nation.
“A monkey has come in contact with our grid transformer causing an imbalance in the system,” Minister Jayakody told reporters. While engineers were promptly deployed to restore the power supply, the minister admitted that the full restoration of electricity was still uncertain three hours after the outage had begun.
By early afternoon, some areas had their power restored, but large parts of the country remained in darkness. “Engineers are attending to it to try and restore the service as soon as possible,” Jayakody added.
This unexpected disruption brings back memories of Sri Lanka’s severe power crisis in 2022, when the country faced rolling blackouts due to an economic meltdown. At the height of the crisis, fuel shortages forced thermal power stations to ration electricity, leading to daily blackouts that lasted up to 13 hours. That period was marked by widespread hardships, as businesses struggled to operate, and essential services faced disruptions.
While Sunday’s blackout was caused by a rather unusual culprit, it highlights vulnerabilities in Sri Lanka’s power infrastructure. Experts have long warned that the country needs to modernize its energy grid to prevent both natural and accidental disruptions. Wildlife-related incidents have previously led to power failures, but a nationwide blackout caused by a single animal underscores the fragility of the system.
As the government works to fully restore power, Sri Lankans are left grappling with the inconvenience of yet another unexpected disruption. This incident also raises questions about the need for enhanced security measures at critical power installations to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
For now, authorities remain focused on stabilizing the grid. However, as bizarre as it may sound, the events of Sunday serve as a reminder that even a small monkey can have a massive impact on an entire nation.
