ALKHOBAR: A power failure at the King Fahd Causeway on Wednesday night resulted in a massive traffic congestion, even as officials failed to explain the cause of the snag, local media reported.

A power outage for 74 minutes on the link between the Kingdom and Bahrain on July 20 had caused chaos and traffic jams, and King Fahd Causeway Company and Saudi Electricity Company each tried to pass the buck on to other.

An official source was quoted as saying that Wednesday’s power failure may have occurred due to excess load and high temperatures. The power cut was only for a few minutes, he said, without identifying the cause.

The Saudi Electricity Company said it will issue a statement in the next 48 hours while some travelers sought to know why reserve generators were not used.

The Bahraini Interior Ministry said its police department issued a warning to travelers soon after the power outage.

Approximately 60,000 travelers use the causeway daily and pay SR40,000 in entry fees. Bahraini Nationality, Passports and Residency Department said that 11,700,000 people used the causeway between January and June this year.