DE News Desk :
A widespread blackout swept across 21 southern districts of Bangladesh on Saturday afternoon after a major national grid line tripped, disrupting power supply to millions.
The outage began around 5:48 PM, affecting vast areas of the Khulna and Barishal divisions, officials said.
Mohammad Haider Ali, managing director of the West Zone Power Distribution Company Limited (WZPDCL), said the disruption originated from Gopalganj’s Amin Bazar transmission centre — a critical hub for distributing electricity generated at the Rampal and Payra thermal power plants.
“The problem appears to have been triggered by a sudden surge in load due to extreme heat,” Haider Ali explained.
“While efforts to restore power are underway, full recovery will require some more time.”
By 8 PM, parts of Khulna city had partially regained electricity, though many areas remained in darkness.
In Barishal, power cuts affected 10 Upazilas, including the city itself, from 6 PM to around 7:30 PM.
Aktaruzzaman Palash, executive engineer at the Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB) in Barishal, said, “A technical glitch disrupted supply to 21 districts. Investigations into the root cause are ongoing. Power was restored in phases after 7:30 PM.”
Authorities estimate that around 812,000 consumers across 10 Upazilas were impacted by the outage.
This latest incident highlights the fragility of Bangladesh’s power infrastructure, particularly during periods of heightened electricity demand driven by soaring temperatures.