Afghanistan hit by blackout after blast destroys power pylon

Kabul, June 8 Several Afghanistan provinces were hit by a blackout as a power pylon was destroyed in an explosion, Breshna Sherkat, the national power company, confirmed on Tuesday.

The incident took place at 9.55 p.m. on Monday in Salang district, Parwan province, north of Kabul, the company said in a statement.

It added that a technical team has been sent to the area to repair the power pylon and resume power transmission to Kabul and other provinces, reports Xinhua news agency.

In Herat province, unknown miscreants destroyed an electricity tower in Kohsan district early Tuesday, cutting power imported from Iran to provincial capital Herat city, Zenab Mohsini from a regional office of Breshna Sherkat confirmed.

The militancy-plagued Afghanistan has been facing power shortage as the country has limited hours of power during day and night times.

To overcome the scarcity, the government has imported power from neighbouring Iran, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan, but it is still too little to meet domestic need.

No group has claimed responsibly for the incident.

Two dozens of power pylons has been destroyed or damaged by explosions along the power grid in recent months.