Bangladesh faces major power blackout

Large parts of Bangladesh were left without electricity on Tuesday after a partial grid failure.

A government official said that authorities were working to gradually restore power supply in the country of 168 million people.

The national power grid malfunctioned at around 2:00 pm (0800 GMT), leading to blackouts across 75-80% of the country, Bangladesh Power Development Board official Shameem Hasan told Reuters.

"We are trying to restore the system," Hasan said, adding that utilities were currently producing around 4,500 megawatts (MW) of power, compared to nationwide demand of 14,200 MW.

An investigation is underway to ascertain the reason for the grid's collapse, Hasan added.