Bangladesh plunges into power blackout after grid failure

A failure in Bangladesh’s national power grid plunged much of the country into a blackout on Tuesday, officials said.

In the capital, Dhaka, market vendors lit candles and diners at restaurants ate food prepared by candlelight.

Officials of the state-run Bangladesh Power Development Board said power transmission failed in the eastern part of the country.

All power plants tripped and electricity was cut in Dhaka and other big cities, said Shameem Hasan, a power department spokesman.

Engineers were trying to determine where and why the glitches happened and it could take hours to restore the system, he said.