Army deployed to protect substations after third nationwide power failure in 6 months

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Monday ordered the deployment of the army to protect electricity substations connected to the national power grid following a nationwide power outage on Sunday.

The power failure lasted more than seven hours and was the third nationwide power failure in the country in the past six months.

According to initial investigations, the Ceylon Electricity Board said that a massive damage caused to an electricity transformer on the outskirts of the capital, followed by an explosion, was the cause of electricity being cut off nationwide on Sunday. However, investigations to determine the cause continue.