Lights back on in Zambia after massive blackouts

Lusaka - Electrical power has been restored in Zambia after most of the country was plunged into darkness Tuesday following a problem in the network, the state-owned energy producer said.

The blackouts had affected eight provinces, including the capital Lusaka and copper-producing towns, the Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation said.

Electricity was restored around Tuesday midnight after an about five-hour outage.

The company said in a statement the blackouts were caused by "tripping of the two major power stations, namely Kafue Gorge and Kariba North Bank power stations, and the interconnector to Zimbabwe".

Only the southern and western provinces were unaffected.

Hydroelectric-dependent Zambia has experienced erratic power supply in recent years due to poor rains and low water levels in the Kariba dam.

Heavy industries like copper mines have been hit the hardest, with almost daily power cuts this year.

Zambia is Africa's second biggest copper producer.