Greater Jakarta plunges into darkness following major blackout

The towering Independence Monument at the heart of Jakarta

Jakarta: A major blackout has darkened Indonesia’s Greater Jakarta and West Java where thousands of homes and public facilities as well as transportation lines were affected.

The electricity outage on Sunday was attributed by Indonesia state electricity company PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) to problems at several power stations on Java.

According to the state power producer, a failure in one of its transmission grids, “resulted in the failed power transfer from east to west.”

The blackout caused the shutting down of traffic lights that are vital to regulate the heavy movement of vehicles and motorcycles, a favorite means of transportation and travel in the capital where at least 10 million people live.

It also prompted the use of generators in some buildings and apartments and led the mass rapid transit system to evacuate passengers from trains after subway and commuter networks came to a halt.