CANBERRA, 18 OCT – Thousands of residents in South Australia (SA) are without electricity after a strong thunderstorm hit the state, causing damage to power lines.
More than 130,000 lightning strikes were recorded across South Australia last night as a powerful storm swept across the state, bringing with it heavy rain and strong winds. At its peak between 500 and 1,000 lightning strikes were recorded every minute, reports Xinhua.
More than 20,000 households and businesses were without electricity as of 9pm local time last night. By 6am on Friday, there were still 53 power outages affecting 5,200 customers.
Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Miriam Bradbury said wind gusts of up to 137 km per hour were recorded in South Australia yesterday.
The State Emergency Service (SES) last night issued a severe weather warning for much of South Australia, warning people about their safety and advising them to stay indoors and away from windows.
Local newspaper The Advertiser also reported that mining giant BHP’s activities at the Olympic Dam site, located about 500 km north of Adelaide, were disrupted for at least five days after eight power line towers connected to the site were damaged by the storm.
Olympic Dam is one of the largest mines in the world producing copper, gold and uranium.
Weather conditions in South Australia improved on Friday, with the storm moving east towards the state of Victoria. – Named
Caption: Unsplash image
