/ 10 September 2010

Snake plunges Philippine island into darkness

An entire Philippine island lost electrical power on Friday after a snake reportedly climbed on to a power transmission line, causing it to short out.

The snake slithered on a transmission line on Bohol island, a popular tourist site, before dawn, resulting in the electrocution of the reptile and the breakdown of a power transformer, ABS-CBN television reported in its website.

The National Grid Corporation, which is in charge of power transmission, reported that the snake left Bohol without power for more than half a day until a replacement transformer was installed, the website said.

Police in Bohol confirmed that the island had a power outage until noon from an unspecified breakdown in equipment but could not confirm if a snake was involved. — AFP