No power, no ice cream: Inside Gozo’s blackout

Anyone with the misfortune of being in Gozo this weekend has been without electricity since 7pm on Friday, while Enemalta scrambles to restore supply to the island.

MaltaToday Online Editor Karl Azzopardi is one of those people, and has only now had the chance to charge his phone and send an update on the situation.

Sometime on Friday evening, two high tension cables in Xewkija and Comino melted under a blistering heatwave, plunging the island into an electricity crisis as Enemalta began rationing supply across its network.

Several generators have since been mobilised to provide temporary relief in certain localities. However, residents and visitors remain concerned that they may have to endure another dark and sweltering night without a stable electricity supply.

Walking down towards Victoria square, shopkeepers and restaurant staff can be seen standing outside as they continue to operate without electricity.

One hairdresser has been dyeing customers’ hair in total darkness, with her salon, like the rest of the island, still without power.

Azzopardi said he has had to throw away most of his groceries, including milk, frozen food, and ice cream.

“Everything is for the garbage,” he said, adding that his neighbours are in exactly the same boat.

Others, however, plan to get on another boat, this time the one back to Malta, if electricity is not restored by tonight.

“If they don’t fix the situation by next Tuesday, I’m going to curse against saints that don’t even exist,” one person with a planned trip to Gozo said. “I’ll have to invent new ones.”