India, May 30 -- Thousands of residents in central Pune faced a prolonged power outage on Thursday evening after underground electricity cables were accidentally damaged during drainage work undertaken by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC).

The disruption began around 4.15 pm when a JCB machine engaged in PMC excavation work snapped two 220 kV underground cables connecting the New Parvati substation to the Navi Peth 22/11 kV substation, officials of the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) said.

The damage forced the shutdown of all eight outgoing feeders from the Navi Peth substation, disrupting power supply in areas including the SP College locality, Shastri Road, Sadashiv Peth, Navi Peth and Sane Guru...