Fifteen villages in five districts located in central and southern Moldova experienced problems with electricity supply, as of 4:00pm on Thursday. In the districts of Telenești and Leova, there are eight villages affected by the weather, and in the districts of Străseni, Hâncești and Nisporeni, electricity is partially or totally missing in three villages.

According to electricity supplier Premier Energy, the issues are caused by sleet, which has caused conductors to break, insulators to fail and fixing reinforcement to be damaged. Tree branches falling on power infrastructure also caused conductors to break.

As the risk of electric shock injury due to failed conductors still remains, Premier Energy warns the public to strictly follow the rules of electrical safety and refrain from unsafe actions. People are urged to steer clear of and avoid touching power lines that have fallen to the ground or are hanging suspiciously from poles and trees. It is advisable to mark at a distance the place of the break of the electric conductor and to secure its perimeter until the intervention of the electricians in order to restrict the access of people and domestic animals to the area of risk of electrocution. Parents are encouraged to explain to children how to behave in this situation.

The distribution operator must be informed of any incident as an emergency at the 24h Service telephone number – 022 43 11 11 or at the local telephone number indicated in the invoice.