Lightning in the Blackout Plunges Mauritius: 65% of CEB Clients Connected at 15:00

Over 95% of the country was without electricity since mid-day on Tuesday 13 December. Lightning had struck the power lines between the station of St. Louis, Plaine-Lauzun, and that of The Cottage, St Martin, around noon.

Most shops and offices were idled, except those equipped with a generator. According Naroo Balraj, Chairman of the Central'administration Electricity Board (CEB), the situation should return to normal by this afternoon. "There is still work to be done on generators. A cable has been seriously damaged by lightning " , he adds.

Meanwhile, engineers are busy replacing damaged cables. At 14 hours, the electricity has been restored in some areas, including the capital. Forecasters from the weather station Vacoas provide, for their part, the rain until tomorrow, Wednesday, Dec. 14.

This failure also affected traffic: traffic signals being out of service. Police calls for vigilance and motorists until the situation returns to normal. Number of plants are laid off when operations were temporarily suspended.