Major electricity blackout blankets Damascus

A key gas line that feeds electricity stations south of Syria's capital Damascus was hit Wednesday evening, resulting in a major electricity blackout that engulfed Damascus as well as other provinces.

Syria's Electricity Minister Imad Khamis said that a gas station responsible for feeding the country's southern region with electricity has been hit by "terrorists," causing electricity outage in all provinces.

He said that maintenance work is currently underway to fix the problem, spelling no further details.

Meanwhile, a well-informed source told Xinhua that the Tishreen Station in Damascus's southern suburb of Ataibeh was hit as witnesses saw huge fire glowing from that spot.

Yet, the causes of the fire weren't immediately verified as some activists' group said it was an explosion while other reports speculated that the station might have been targeted with mortars.

The country's state media hasn't given any further details yet.