Much of Zambia has been plunged into darkness by a power cut, the country’s Energy Minister Dora Siliya has said.
In a message on Facebook she said the blackout was caused by faulty equipment and that only the Southern and Western provinces – supplied by a hydroelectric power plant at the Victoria Falls – were unaffected.
The incident is a repeat of a similar blackout on 11 December. Zambia – a hydroelectric-dependent country – has had erratic rainfall.
The 1.4 million people who live in the capital Lusaka are suffering after an inconsistent rainy season from last October to March this year.