Chinese switch to flashlights, generators amid power cuts

China’s state planner on Wednesday ordered railway companies and provincial authorities to rush coal supplies to regions grappling with unprecedented power cuts, which have hit industrial production and forced residents to switch on mobile phones and light candles to go about their daily chores.

Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning are the three worst hit provinces in northeast China facing sudden power blackouts, lasting for hours.The crippling power pinch has also spread to several other provinces, local media reported.

“In the central province of Hunan, some building facade lighting and billboards are being turned off during peak hours. In the southern trade hub of Guangdong, some factories have been ordered to shut down for up to a week,” news website Caixin reported.