Hundreds of thousands of residents across the state of Victoria in Australia are still without electricity on Wednesday after stormy weather caused extensive damage to power lines and ignited forest fires, injuring five firefighters.
On Tuesday, strong winds knocked down power lines, disrupting generators at a power station and cutting off electricity to about half a million buildings, as reported by Reuters.
Victoria’s Premier, Jacinta Allan, told reporters that approximately 220,000 homes and businesses remain without power on Wednesday morning.
AGL Energy reported that two units at the power station are back online, with the remaining two expected to resume operation within 24 hours.
However, restoring power to all affected customers could take weeks.
Authorities also reported the death of a livestock farmer due to flying debris in the southern part of the state.
Train services on some Melbourne lines were suspended, and at least 10 schools and dozens of childcare centers were closed.
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology forecasts milder weather conditions for Wednesday, with temperatures ranging between 20 to 25 degrees Celsius and moderate winds.
However, the bureau cautioned that the danger has not yet passed.
