Residents across Upolu were left frustrated after an unexpected power outage struck the area around 4 pm, disrupting evening routines and essential activities.

The blackout affected several villages just as families were returning home from work and school. With no prior warning, many were caught unprepared as homes, shops and roadside businesses suddenly lost electricity.

Electric Power Corporation, in its public notice, said the interruption was caused by a fault at our power station in Tanugamanono.

The affected feeders are Hospital Feeder, Alaoa South Feeder, Beach Road Feeder, East Coast Feeder, Lalomauga Feeder, Taelefaga Feeder, South Coast Feeder, Sauniatu Feeder, and Fagaloa Feeder.

“It happened so suddenly,” said Mele Taulelei of Mulivai Safata. “We were just starting to prepare dinner when everything went dark. It’s very inconvenient at that time of the day.”

For local vendors, the outage came at a critical hour when business is usually at its peak. Tufuga Leota, who operates a small takeaway stand, said the loss of power slowed down his work. “I rely on electricity for lighting and equipment. When it goes off, I lose customers because I cannot continue properly.”

Students were also affected, as many depend on electricity for studying in the late afternoon. “I planned to revise before dinner, but I couldn’t do anything,” said student Salome Faraimo. “These outages make it harder for us to keep up with schoolwork.”

Many in Safata say the timing of the outage made it especially disruptive, calling for more reliable electricity services to prevent further inconvenience.