Malaysia hit by power cut

A power cut blacked out parts of peninsular Malaysia today and disrupted operations at the country’s main airport.

The blackout occurred around 10am local time (3am Irish time) in at least four northern states in peninsular Malaysia, a spokesman for Tenaga Nasional, Malaysia’s main power utility company, said.

Officials believed a problem with electricity cables might have triggered the blackout, the spokesman said.

Banks and many offices were closed for a public holiday in conjunction with Malaysia’s National Day, which was celebrated yesterday.

The power cut blacked out the entire Kuala Lumpur International Airport for 10 minutes before power was restored in stages and caused six flights to be delayed for up to half an hour, said Abdul Hamid Ali, a senior general manager for airport operator Malaysia Airports Holdings.

The 24,700-acre airport opened in June 1998 to accommodate millions of passengers and faster jets so that Kuala Lumpur could compete as an aviation hub with neighbours Bangkok and Singapore.