This is the most widespread power outage in Pakistan since 2015.
In Karachi, witnesses reported seeing long lines at gas stations as people rushed to buy gasoline for their home generators, which had been running at night.
“There are long lines outside gas stations in the city, cars queuing up while people buy fuel for their backup generators. I was in line, people have been waiting for hours with gas cans in hand,” said Akbar Saifi, a resident. in Karachi.
Efforts are now being made to restore power to various parts of the country. According to information from K-Electric, the company that powers the city, large parts of Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city, are still without power.
At 6:44 AM Sunday, local time, Energy Minister Omar Ayub Khan tweeted that power had been restored to much of the capital, Islamabad.
Abdullah Khan, spokesman for PIA, Pakistan’s main airline, said all flight operations remain functional despite the power outage.
“All the major airports in the country have backup generators,” he said.
Power cuts are not uncommon in Pakistan and most major hospitals, airports and other institutions have their own generators. Those who can afford to often leave gasoline powered generators in the event of a power outage.
Reuters also contributed to this story.