DAMASCUS, Mar 3 : War-torn Syria was hit on Thursday by a nationwide power cut, state television reported, but the cause was not immediately known.
"Electricity has been cut across all provinces and teams are trying to determine the reason for this unexpected cut," the station reported, citing a source within the electricity ministry.
Damascus residents said power in the capital had been out since 1:00 pm (1100 GMT) and that mobile Internet connections from some private providers were also not working.
Syria's state mobile provider said its Internet service had been "partially cut due to part of the network unexpectedly malfunctioning".
Since Syria's conflict erupted in March 2011, various areas across the country have experienced intermittent power outages as a result of clashes or air strikes and many regularly rely on generators for power.
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister David Cameron, French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will discuss the ceasefire in Syria with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a conference call on Friday, Downing Street said.
"Tomorrow is an opportunity for the leaders of the UK, France and Germany to come together... and make very clear to president Putin that we need this ceasefire to hold, to be a lasting one and to open the way for a real political transition," Cameron's spokeswoman told reporters on Thursday.     ?AFP