Oman investigates blackout that left Muscat without power

Oman is investigating an unprecedented blackout that left large parts of the population without power on Monday.

Officials from the Authority for Public Services Regulation visited a power plant in Ibri, northern Oman, to investigate the power outages that left thousands of homes in Muscat and other areas without electricity between 1 pm on Monday and 2 am on Tuesday.

"The visit to the '400/200 KV' station in Ibri came as part of the procedures of technical investigation conducted with Oman Electricity Transmission Company following the power outage in the main network," APSR Chairman Dr. Mansour Talib Al-Hinai told local media.

While power was restored early the following morning, the blackout caused huge disruptions in the Omani capital and dominated the news for several days after.

Videos on social media showed locals being evacuated from malls in near darkness and chaos on the roads as traffic lights went offline.

The outage came as temperatures reached 34 degrees in the capital causing discomfort for families as AC units stopped working.

Omani citizens helped divert traffic, as long queues at junctions built up, while classes and college exams were postponed.

Engineers told local media that the disruptions were the biggest the country had experienced since Cyclone Gonu in 2007.

Power was fully restored in Oman at 2:22 am on Tuesday.