GREECE: A power failure hit Athens yesterday, a month before the Olympics begin, but the government brushed off the hour-long disruption as a mere glitch and said there was more than enough electricity to power the Games.
Trains, trolley buses and the underground metro system ground to a halt between 1 p.m. (10.00GMT) and 2 p.m., while traffic lights went out briefly.
The city's fire department received more than 500 calls to rescue people trapped in lifts. Power returned to more than 90 per cent of Athens by early evening. The blackout scuppered plans for what was meant to be a triumphant first full trial of the new rail line connecting Athens airport to the city centre.
"There is enough power for all the country's needs, both now and during the Games," said development minister Dimitris Sioufas. "The blackout was not due to an electricity shortage, but to miscalculations in managing the system's high voltage."
Local media speculated that a surge in air conditioner use may have triggered the blackout and blamed state electricity utility PPC for failing to manage the network. But a source there pointed the finger at miscalculations by the agency responsible for maintaining a balance between production and consumption.