Blackout hits central Moscow

Electricity blackouts hit large sections of the Russian capital today, forcing many subway lines and trams to halt service while frustrated pedestrians tried to flag down taxis on traffic-jammed streets.

The power cuts stemmed from a fire and explosion at a substation, with problems breaking out last night. Workers tried to repair the damaged equipment, but were unable to get them into full operation before electricity demands hit their peak this morning.

“We primarily believe that the main reason is that the equipment is worn out,” Nagoga said, noting that the substation was built in 1963. The substation problem then caused a cascade effect into other parts of the grid.

Ministry of Emergency Situations spokesman Viktor Beltsov said the outages hit wide areas of Moscow’s south. The problems extended as far as the Tula region, about 120 miles south of Moscow.