There was a major electricity blackout in the Eastern Province on Wednesday after sandstorms uprooted 90 transport towers and disrupted 13 lines in the region, the Saudi Electricity Company said, adding that its maintenance staff succeeded in restoring service within the past 24 hours.

The company said the sandstorms affected transport and distribution stations in the region. “As a result, the network lost 13 major supply lines,” a statement said.

SEC engineers and technicians were working hard to restore supply to residential areas and vital firms, such as hospitals, companies and industries, soon after the power cut at 8:22 p.m. on Wednesday.

“We were able to activate two stations within an hour after the power cut, while five stations resumed operation in the early morning hours,” the statement said, adding that the SEC provided generators to King Fahd Medical City in Dhahran.

“We were able to restore regular service to the medical city at 4:45 p.m. on Thursday,” it said.

The company urged vital firms, such as hospitals, to keep reserve generators on standby to operate in case of emergency power cuts.