Con Edison excuses for the power outage of Manhattan while the governor orders an investigation



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Much of the neighborhoods of the Upper West Side and Midtown Manhattan appear in the darkness of the sky during a major power outage that occurred on July 13, 2019 in New York City.

Scott Heins | Getty Images News | Getty Images

Con Edison apologized Sunday for a power outage that left 72,000 customers without power for hours in large parts of Manhattan, but the root cause of the blackout remained obscure.

The power outage began after a "major disruption of electrical transmission" affected several circuits, according to a company statement. Con Edison said that the power outage was not due to a current overload.

"Con Edison sincerely regrets the power cut suffered last night by our customers in West Manhattan and will be
conduct a diligent and vigorous investigation to determine the root cause of the incident, "said the company.

Con Edison's planners and engineers are reviewing the data and performance of its equipment and will share their findings with regulators and the general public, the company said.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said Sunday that the power outage was not caused by a terrorist act.

Radio City Music Hall is seen during a major power outage on July 13, 2019 in New York City.

David Dee Delgado | Getty Images News | Getty Images

"It was not a cyber attack or an act of physical terrorism," de Blasio said.

The power outage, which began at 6:47 pm on Saturday and lasted until about midnight, left large areas of Midtown Manhattan and the Upper West Side without electricity.

The power cut ravaged the city's metro, forcing several stations to get closer to the public and disrupting services along several key train lines.

More than 400 elevators were blocked at the height of the blackout, according to the New York City Fire Department.

Passengers in a subway train at 66th Street station during a power outage due to numerous power outages, in this still frame shot from a video, in the Manhattan district of New York, United States, July 13 2019. REUTERS / Aleksandra Michalska

Aleksandra Michalska | REUTERS

Times Square was largely in the dark and Broadway shows, including the hit Hamilton, were canceled. Madison Square Garden was also touched and a show by Jennifer Lopez was forced to end early.

No injury or hospitalization was reported due to power failure.

The governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, ordered the opening of an investigation into this incident. He called the failure "unacceptable and said it would hold all parties accountable".

A senior city official, directly aware of the case, told NBC News Saturday that the power outage was apparently caused by a transformer fire at 54th Street and West End Avenue.

At one point, Mayor Bill de Blasio said the power outage was caused by a fire.

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