What caused UAE mall power outage that left hundreds in panic?

  DUBAI - A power outage that left Al Ansar Mall in the dark for nearly two hours was blamed on the mall management's negligence, a top official said. The mall management failed to follow maintenance rules by the Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority (Sewa), said Saif Al Obaidly, an official from the authority. The mall-wide blackout hit Sharjah's largest shopping centre on Friday evening, leaving many people stalled in elevators. Escalators also stopped working as people fumbled their way out of the mall, witnesses said. Security teams arrived to help people trapped in elevators and guide people safely out of the mall located in Al Wahda street. At least two people were taken to the hospital after they reported feeling suffocated in the mall.

What caused blackout?

An inspection after the incident revealed that the mall's backup generator only had a capacity of 290KW - less than 10 per cent of the average consumption at the mall, according to Sewa. Inspectors also found that the generator was last serviced in March 2017, or more than a year ago. Generators should be serviced every six months. "The inspection team instructed the mall management to increase the capacity of the power generator to suit the consumption pattern of the mall and to carry out periodic maintenance," Sewa's Al Obaidly said. GAD/Expat 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