Cause of blackout downtown unclear

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SHANGHAI experienced a blackout for seconds yesterday evening due to a voltage fluctuation caused by a trip, authority said. The sudden blackout around 6pm in downtown districts including Xuhui, Jing'an and Huangpu affected thousands of buildings and Metro stations.

Many complained the power failure of around five seconds caused them to lose computer files. The cause of the trip was still unclear but should not be related to a transformer fire in the Pudong New Area earlier in the afternoon, officials said.

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