Croatian holiday island Hvar was hit by a prolonged power outage

The famous Croatian island of Hvar, frequented by tourists, is experiencing a nightmare. Since Monday evening, there has been no electricity. What happened and when devices like air conditioners and refrigerators will start working again is unclear.

On Friday, the Balkans experienced a massive power grid failure. All of Dalmatia, the region along Croatia’s coast, Montenegro, and parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina lost access to electricity.

Traffic lights were out, and the trams weren't running. Restaurant and hotel owners faced huge problems: refrigerators full of food weren't working, and there was no water in the taps because the pumps were down. With the massive heatwave affecting the region, finding a place to cool down was challenging, as the air conditioning wasn’t working.

Later, a failure in Montenegro's electricity transmission system, caused by exceptionally high air temperatures and a sudden increase in consumption due to the heatwave, was reported as the cause of the power outage.

Energy supplies were restored after a few hours. However, this was not the end of troubles for residents and tourists in Croatia. On Monday, the lights went out on the picturesque island of Hvar.

Residents of the island contacted the editorial office of the Croatian daily "Slobodna Dalmacija." They complained that they had received no information explaining the lack of electricity supply.

"We have a lot of food in the refrigerators. Hoteliers and restaurateurs, who rely on tourism, are in a terrible situation," said the residents of Hvar.

They add that there have been power cuts when lightning struck the nearby power infrastructure in the past, but it "never lasted this long."