The first heatwave of the year in Southern Europe caused a spike in electricity use. Blackouts were reported across Albania, Bosnia, Croatia and Montenegro. Utilities are working to restore power.
The Balkans suffered major blackouts on Friday after temperatures approached 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in the region's first heatwave of the year..
Authorities in parts of Albania, Bosnia,and Croatia reported outages, while almost all of Montenegro was without power for several hours.
"There has been a sudden increase in consumption due to high temperatures," said Montenegro's Energy Minister Sasa Mujovic.
Croatia's national electricity company HEP said blackouts were caused by "an international disturbance that affected several countries."
"HEP has put all its production capacities into full operation... to ensure the supply of electricity in Croatia as soon as possible," it said.
