Sri Lanka extended power cuts for a third day on Thursday as it scrambled to restore its national grid to full capacity after a monkey triggered a widespread blackout over the weekend that disrupted supply to the island’s 22 million people.

Sri Lanka extended power cuts for a third day on Thursday as it scrambled to restore its national grid to full capacity after a monkey triggered a widespread blackout over the weekend that disrupted supply to the island's 22 million people.

Officials in Sri Lanka said a monkey in the wrong place at the wrong time was to blame for a power blackout that affected the entire nation.

A monkey in Sri Lanka caused power outage in Sri Lanka, forcing a power outage in the island nation. The power minister confirmed the news, adding the power was restored at key installations after an hour of disruption.

No more monkeys jumping on the power grid! A countrywide power outage that left many stuck without cool air during a sweltering hot day in Sri Lanka has been blamed on a rogue monkey who climbed into a power station south of the capital Colombo.

Over the weekend, residents of Sri Lanka found themselves without power during a heat wave, but it wasn’t because of the oppressive temperatures. The energy minister for the island nation reported that the power outage was initially caused by a monkey when it came into contact with a grid transformer.

According to The Guardian, the nation’s Energy Minister believes the entire country lost power after a monkey came into contact with a grid transformer. Engineers worked quickly to restore power to critical facilities like hospitals, but many households remained without electricity overnight.

Sri Lanka witnessed a nationwide power outage on February 9. It was triggered by a monkey. The incident which occurred at an electrical grid substation in a southern suburb of Colombo resulted in an island-wide blackout.