KARACHI, Sept 10: At least half the city was left in the dark for hours following a massive power breakdown on Friday evening caused by a breakdown in the main cable of the Karachi Electric Supply Corporation's Bin Qasim power station.

Panic gripped the city as residents feared that terrorists had struck on the eve of the 9/11 anniversary. However, KESC officials promptly announced that the breakdown was not caused by any act of sabotage.

A spokesman for the KESC claimed that all grid stations had started functioning normally by midnight. Only a few areas might be facing distribution breakdowns, he said.

The spokesman said: "The city faced a power shortage of 1,000 megawatts during the breakdown. It received electricity from the Water and Power Development Authority, independent power producers and KESC gas turbines in that period. The electricity supply from the Bin Qasim power station was completely cut-off."