Temporary blackout hits Portuguese tourist island

Lisbon, March 28 (IANS) A lightning strike during a heavy thunderstorm triggered a complete power blackout on the Portuguese island of Madeira, local media reported on Sunday.As of 8.45 p.m. on Saturday, residents of the popular tourist destination in the Atlantic about 950 kilometres south-west of Lisbon were left in the dark, dpa news agency quoted Portugal's Lusa media outlet as saying in a report.Heavy rain and hail also flooded streets, underground garages and some residential buildings.No people were reported to have been injured.The head of the regional government, Miguel Albuquerque, called on the 250,000 inhabitants of the island to stay at home because of the continuing bad weather.The power supply had been largely restored by Sunday morning, the Lusa report added.
--IANS ksk/