BAGHDAD, June 25: The head of a power station in western Baghdad, a mother of four, was shot dead by unknown gunmen on Wednesday, an electricity official said, adding that the murder could have been carried out by “feeble-minded” residents upset over the power cuts, which entered the third day on Wednesday.

US overseer Paul Bremer, speaking to journalists in Baghdad, blamed the power outage in the capital on Baathists.

“The problem is due to sabotage of the power lines between Beiji and Baghdad. We are doing everything we can to fix this as quickly as possible,” he said.

“Almost certainly the saboteurs are rogue Baathist elements,” Mr Bremer said.

An explosion tore up an oil pipeline, linked to Baghdad’s main oil refinery and power plant, in the Barwaneh region, 250kms northwest of the capital, on Tuesday.—AFP