ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - A major power outage hit Pakistan's commercial capital, Karachi, Wednesday after the city's main power lines tripped because of an overload, an official from the city's electricity supplier said.
Karachi is Pakistan's biggest city with a population of more than 16 million and is home to many industries, the country's two main ports and its main stock market.
"The city's two main high-tension lines tripped due to overload and ... eventually power plants shut," said Qashif Effendi, a spokesman for the Karachi Electric Supply Corporation.
Power was off in most of the city for about two hours. Trading on the stock exchange was not interrupted as it has its own generator. Effendi said power would be restored quickly.
Karachi, like the rest of Pakistan, has been suffering regular black-outs as power is switched off at intervals in different neighbourhoods through the day as authorities struggle to share out insufficient power supplies.
The power cuts, known as load-shedding, have triggered violent protests by factory workers and ordinary citizens.
The government, struggling with a host of economic and security problems, has vowed to set up new power stations and says the problem will be resolved next year.
(Reporting by Aftab Borka; Editing by Robert Birsel and Valerie Lee)
