An army of contract workers and Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) officials repaired snapped overhead lines and busted transformers to restore power to most parts of Thiruvananthapuram by Thursday evening.
They carried out most of the work in rain and wind and under the light of flickering lamps.
Strong winds, uprooted trees and fallen branches had knocked out power for most citizens late Wednesday.
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Large parts of the capital remained without power for the better part of the day. The KSEB had cautioned the public against venturing near broken power lines and urged them to report such incidents to 9496010101 or 0471 2555544.
Electrocution in June
On June 10, two pedestrians were electrocuted when they accidentally stepped over a snapped power line that lay unattended under a pool of stormwater on a partially inundated street at Chakka near the international airport here.
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A KSEB official said the public utility had temporarily switched off power in most areas to prevent such accidents from recurring.
12 hours of blackout
He said a strong gale that lasted less than 15 minutes had barrelled across the capital on Wednesday night, uprooting trees and utility poles in its path. Households in coastal and suburban areas endured nearly 12 hours of blackout.
The KSEB initially repaired the 11 kV lines and then moved on to put the low tension grid that supplies households online.
The power outage disrupted mobile phone, cable television and internet services, plunging much of the capital into a communication void for hours.
Citizens scrambled to get their mobile phones and laptops charged. Power generators at several highrises ran out of fuel, affecting water supply and elevator services.
Cinemas cancel shows
Batteries of inverters at homes ran out after six hours. Several cinema halls cancelled shows, and most prominent hotels in the city switched to power from diesel generators.
A broken power line temporarily caused the stoppage of trains in Chirayinkeezhu locality.