Power station blast blacks out Bermuda

A massive explosion at Bermuda’s only electricity company triggered an island-wide power blackout, paralysing commerce in the British territory and international centre for offshore insurance companies.

A systems failure at one of the power station transmission boards was believed to have caused yesterday’s 3am (8am Irish time) blast, said company president Gary Madeiros. The privately-owned company, Belco, said it was investigating.

Dozens of firefighters battled flames rising 60 feet for eight hours, bringing the blaze under control at around midday. No one was injured.

Most of the island of 62,000 people plunged into darkness.

Motorists formed huge lines at petrol stations and residents flocked to stores to stock up on emergency supplies. Police fanned out across the island to direct traffic, summoning reserve officers for help.

Most business remained closed, with many employees heading to the beach for the day. There were no disruptions at Bermuda’s international airport, which operated on a power generator. The island’s only hospital also had a generator and functioned normally.

Power started returning to parts of the island around noon, with about half the territory back on line by Thursday night, Belco officials said. The company, which used a back-up transmission board to restore power, said most of the island should have electricity by today.

Bermuda Premier Alex Scott cancelled today’s weekly meeting of the House of Assembly. The leader was awakened minutes after the explosion and convened a meeting of the island’s emergency officials.

Belco officials said it would take months and cost millions of dollars to repair the gutted transmission board.

Low taxes have helped make Bermuda a haven for thousands of offshore insurance companies. The 21 square-mile island lies about 800 miles south east of New York City.