Mass blackouts hit Balkans as region swelters

(ANSA-AFP) - PODGORICA, JUN 21 - Major blackouts hit large swaths of the western Balkans on Friday as surging demand for electricity linked to a spike in temperatures across the region overwhelmed power networks. Temperatures in Montenegro's capital Podgorica touched 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit) on Friday afternoon, as the country's main power provider said electricity was out across most of the Adriatic nation.
    Montenegro's Minister of Energy and Mining Sasa Mujovic told local media that the power outage issue was regional in nature and linked to the ongoing heat wave. "There has been a sudden increase in consumption due to high temperatures," said Mujovic.
    In nearby Croatia, large stretches of the country's coastline in the southern Dalmatia region were also without power, according to reports in local media. "The cut in electricity supply in parts of Croatia was caused by an international disturbance that affected several countries," Croatia's national electricity company (HEP) said in a statement published by the state-run HRT broadcaster. (ANSA-AFP).