Large area of Iraq loses power after fire at power plant

[donsu]

http://www.boston.com/dailynews/347/world/Large_area_of_Iraq_loses_powerP.shtml


A large swath of Iraq lost electricity Sunday after a fire erupted in a major power plant north of Baghdad. Prime Minister Ayad Allawi called the fire an accident, but accused guerrillas of hurting Iraqis with attacks on infrastructure.

The capital went dark at about 4 p.m. and power was still out at 7 p.m. The only lights came from the Green Zone and a few other places that have their own generators.

Witnesses in several other parts of the country including Basra to the south and Najaf to the southwest also reported having no power.

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Power outages are common in Iraq, where the U.S.-led invasion further weakened infrastructure debilitated by years of United Nations sanctions. American engineers are doing repair work, but major reconstruction has yet to begin.
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