Hoax: Sumatra blackout blamed on monkey attack

A social media post on Facebook claimed that a widespread power outage across parts of Sumatra was caused by a group of monkeys attacking substations and main power lines. The post also included photos of monkeys on power lines to convince readers of the cause. The narrative stated: “This is why the entire island of Sumatra has gone completely dark, from Aceh to Medan, Padang, Pekanbaru, and Palembang.” However, fact-checking revealed no official statements from the government or credible media sources attributing the widespread blackout to monkey attacks. According to ANTARA, state-owned electricity company PLN stated the blackout was triggered by severe weather disrupting part of the transmission system. PLN’s president director explained that transmission disruptions caused a frequency drop due to heavy generator load, triggering a domino effect across multiple Sumatra regions. Additionally, the photos of monkeys on power lines used in the post were unrelated to the Sumatra blackout incident. Therefore, claims that the Sumatra blackout was caused by monkey attacks are false and constitute a hoax.