Italy in grip of massive power cut

Power cuts across Italy have plunged the nation into crisis.

Reports of power cuts started to come in at about 4am local time (3am BST) in Rome, where the city was celebrating an all-night party, with museums and restaurants open around the clock.

Later, national electricity company ACEA said power was out across the nation, the ANSA news agency reported.

"As far as we know it's all across Italy," police official Franca Sesti Miraglia said in Rome.

"We don't know the cause yet."

ANSA said hundreds of people attending the all-night "White Night" festivities in Rome were stuck in underground stations. Police could not immediately confirm the report.

"We're not aware of anything really serious. There are some problems," Sesti Miraglia said. "With the 'White Night,' there were many people out."

In Milan, civil defence official Pasquale Aversa said a little power had returned there.

"In certain parts of the city, electricity has already returned, and that is true also in some areas around Milan," he said. "Obviously, there are problems with having a city in the dark. But given the situation we're in, it's going well."

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