Power cut leaves whole of Syria without electricity

The whole of Syria was hit by a power cut on Thursday, state television reported, which said that the cause was not immediately known.

"Electricity has been cut across all provinces and teams are trying to determine the reason for this unexpected cut," the station reported, citing a source within the electricity ministry.

Damascus residents said power in the capital had been out since 1pm (11am GMT) and that mobile internet connections from some private providers were also not working.

Syria's state mobile provider said its internet service had been "partially cut due to part of the network unexpectedly malfunctioning". 

Since the Syrian conflict erupted in March 2011, various areas across the country have experienced intermittent power outages as a result of clashes or air strikes and many regularly rely on generators for power.

Even without the power cut, most people have electricity for only two to four hours a day.

Satellite images released last summer revealed that the country was 83 percent darker than it was before the war broke out, with production capacity stretched to breaking point.

It was reported that 96 percent of Raqqa province – a region largely controlled by Islamic State (IS) since January 2014 – is now dark at night.

Throughout the war, partial and regional blackouts have been common, with the government blaming them on rebels.

However, cuts affecting the entire country have been extremely rare.

Thursday’s power cut came on the sixth day of a cessation of hostilities, which appears to be largely holding.

The UN’s special envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura, said on Thursday that the deal had “greatly reduced” violence in the country, though it does not include the Islamic State and Nusra Front groups, both of which the UN considers terrorist organisations.