Vast blackout hits Mindanao

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - Vast power blackout hit almost the entire Mindanao early this morning. Power transmission has been restored in some parts of the area, but the cause of the incident was still to be determined.

The blackout happened at 3:53 a.m. today local time, affecting various provinces and cities on the island. The Philippine government was yet to determine the cause of the power blackout. However, the Philippine Department of Energy (DOE) said it hoped to restore power within the day.

Philippine Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said the DOE would investigate the cause of the power outage, but the DOE's priority for now was to get the power back as soon as possible.

"(Energy) Secretary (Jericho) Petilla says their target is to restore power in all the provinces affected by the end of the day, " Valte said.

As of 1:00 p.m., Valte said the DOE reported that 70 percent of the Mindanao grid had already restored to its original capacity.

"They cannot pinpoint the cause of the tripping right now but will work on finding it once power is restored," she added.