Malta's capital hit by power cut as temperatures soar

VALLETTA, July 22 - Malta's capital Valletta was without power on Wednesday, a day after the island's prime minister issued an "unconditional" apology for a wave of power cuts across the country over several days.

"I want to apologise to all those who were without electricity in the last hours. That apology is unconditional," Prime Minister Robert Abela said on Tuesday as people in several localities reported having spent the night without a fan or air-conditioning.

The outage also hit the prime minister's office and various ministerial offices, along with many businesses, media said. Restaurants said they had to throw away food.

Wednesday's power cut briefly interrupted the trial of a businessman accused of association in the car bomb murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in 2017.

The Mediterranean island is at the end of a five-day heat wave which has seen temperatures reach 42 degrees. A July record of 43.3 degrees centigrade was reached on Saturday.

State energy company Enemalta said the power cuts have been caused by faults in the distribution network owing to the extreme temperatures and record demand for electricity.

"While we have done a lot, the challenges are big. The effects of climate change are showing, and temperatures are constantly rising and lasting longer," Abela said.

The opposition Nationalist Party demanded compensation for damages to families and businesses. REUTERS