Total power outage hits Bahrain

The electricity was cut off at 0600 GMT. Officials could not be reached to explain the cause of the power outage, which could be due to a breakdown in the main Al-Jufair power station, south of the capital.

Some people needed help after getting stuck in elevators while shops and other businesses closed and many people returned home from work.

Some buildings, including hospitals, are relying on their own generators, which most residents do not have.

Power cuts are common in Bahrain during the summer, when the capacity is not sufficient to meet the added demand of air conditioners and refrigerators.

Bahrain, which hosts the US Navy's Fifth Fleet, is 700 square kilometres (277 sq miles) in size and home to some 650,000 people, including 378,000 Bahrainis.