A … monkey is accused of stopping electricity throughout Sri Lanka, climbing a power station and teased the installation.

The power outage took place on Sunday afternoon, with the country’s Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody announcing that: “A monkey came into contact with the transformer of our network, causing an imbalance in the power system.”

Engineers rushed to restore electricity to the island of 22 million residents, prioritizing critical facilities such as hospitals and water cleaning facilities.

While some areas recovered electricity within a few hours, many households without generators remained to darkness until late at night.

Through social media, the inhabitants of Sri Lanka mocked this funny power outage while others emphasized how sensitive the Sri Lanka electricity grid is, which fell because of a monkey.

“A monkey = absolute chaos. Is it time to review infrastructure?“A user wrote. “Only in Sri Lanka can a monkey discontinue the electricity of the whole country”, Another was joking, as the Guardian reports.

In addition to the memes, this interruption also highlights the country’s problems in energy security. Experts have long warned that the country’s electricity grid is outdated and vulnerability in disorders.

“The National Electricity Network is in such a poor condition that there will be frequent power outages throughout the island if there is a disorder in one of our lines,” reported a senior engineer in the Daily Mirror.

Sri Lanka has encountered energy problems in the past. In 2022, in the midst of a deep financial crisis, continuous power outages became a gloomy reality, as the lack of fuel forced the authorities to provide electricity for 13 hours a day.

Ceylon Electricity Board apologized for Sunday’s blanket, but did not explain how an incident could have such extensive implications. Also, there is no information about the fate of monkeys.

Monkeys cause a headache in Sri Lanka as their population increases rapidly. As people trample on forest areas, animals invade the villages in search of food and thus destroy crops. The number of monkeys is estimated to range between 2 and 3 million on the island.