On February 9, 2025, Sri Lanka experienced a nationwide power outage after a monkey infiltrated the Panadura substation near Colombo. The incident occurred around 10:45 am, leading to a blackout that lasted approximately five hours, affecting millions across the island.
The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) reported that the monkey’s contact with critical equipment caused a system imbalance, triggering the widespread outage. Power was gradually restored, with full service resuming by 5:30 pm.
This event highlights the vulnerability of Sri Lanka’s aging electrical infrastructure, which has faced challenges in recent years due to economic difficulties and frequent power cuts. The government has initiated an investigation into the incident and is considering measures to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
On social media, people criticized the authorities while making fun of the incident.
“A rogue monkey knocked out Sri Lanka’s entire power grid after triggering a total failure at a substation in Colombo,” X user Mario Nawfal wrote.
“One monkey = total chaos. Time to rethink infrastructure?” he added.
Another X user, Sreeni R, posted an illustration of Hanuman, a Hindu god with the face of a monkey.
“Sri Lanka tasted monkey business in the past,” he wrote.
“Only in Sri Lanka can a group of monkeys fighting inside a power station cause an islandwide power outage,” wrote Jamila Husain, editor-in-chief of local newspaper Daily Mirror.
The incident underscores the need for modernizing and securing the nation’s power grid to prevent such disruptions in the future.
