Families report unbearable conditions and long elevator queues during extended Phase II outage

A large number of residents in the Hiyaa towers of Hulhumale' Phase II were left without electricity for more than seven hours on Sunday, forcing families, including children and the elderly, to endure extreme heat and difficult living conditions.

Power outages were first reported from several towers in the afternoon. At 15:21, STELCO announced that a technical issue had disrupted electricity in parts of Phase II and that teams were working to resolve it.

Sun learned that eight Hiyaa towers and several Vinares towers initially lost power. Residents later reported that instead of improving, the outage spread to additional towers as the evening progressed.

A resident of Hiyaa Tower 1 said only one elevator was functioning during the evening rush, when office‑goers and schoolchildren were returning home. Long queues formed, and many residents opted to climb the stairs or wait outside on vacant land near the towers, hoping power would return soon.

Some Hiyaa flats house large families, including young children and elderly people, making the prolonged outage especially difficult.

A resident living on the 22nd floor described the situation as unbearable.

“It was extremely hot. I live on the 22nd floor, and taking the stairs down is an ordeal. I recently had hand surgery and have a plaster cast. With the heat and sweating, it becomes itchy all over. I can hear children crying nonstop from the tower,” he said.

As night fell, residents said navigating the dark stairwells became even more hazardous.

STELCO later confirmed that the outage was caused by damage to one of the main cables supplying electricity to Phase II. The cable is believed to have been struck during excavation work. The company said it is working to redistribute the load across the remaining three cables but did not provide a timeline for full restoration.

Hulhumale' Phase II is a densely populated area with thousands of families still moving in, and residents have repeatedly raised concerns about delays and gaps in essential services.