SYDNEY, (MILLAT+APP/AFP) – The entire state of South Australia was without power Wednesday after being pummelled by a severe storm, with the blackout causing chaos as authorities warned of more wild weather.
The state — about one and a half times the size of France and with
a population of some 1.7 million — lost power after severe thunderstorms struck with destructive wind gusts of up to 140 km per hour (87 mph), torrential rain and large hailstones.
Trees were torn down, roofs ripped out, thousands of homes and business were without power and cars were gridlocked on flooded roads as traffic lights stopped working in what the Bureau of Meteorology said was one of the most intense storms to hit the state in recent years.
South Australia’s Premier Jay Weatherill told local ABC radio the duration of the outage was “unknown”. He called on people to avoid travel as authorities sought to restore the network “in the coming hours”.
International News
Entire Australian state without power after massive storm
