Sri Lanka's power grid crashed Friday, plunging the entire country into darkness barely 24 hours after private companies took over some functions of the state-owned electricity company despite union objections. The government ruled out sabotage or action by electrical workers' unions who have threatened blackouts if pay demands are not met. The unions said they had no role in it either. State authorities blamed a technical fault in the main line, which left the country without power for more than five hours from early morning. “There had been a cable failure at the Kelanitissa power station and another problem in Kothmale,” said Badhra Jayaweera, the Ceylon Electricity Board's (CEB) general manager. Kothmale and Kelanitissa are two of the country's main power stations. The main electrical workers' union said the blackout showed the government's transfer of some of the state-owned Colombo Electricity Board's (CEB) work to eight privately owned companies, which took effect Thursday, was a mistake.
