Power went out in 6,000 homes in Ueno and parts of Shimoji districts of Miyakojima City on Miyako Island, Wednesday evening.

Repair crews of Miyako Electric Power Co. quickly traced the problem to a transformer, and restored the power in 23 minutes.

When inspecting the cause of the power outage, the repair crew discovered that a snake had slithered into the transformer and shorted the circuit. At the same instance the snake electrocuted itself. Inspecting the burned remains of the snake that had fallen on the ground under the transformer, the repair crew said that it had been a little over one meter long but could not say what species it had been. There are no poisonous snakes on Miyako.

As traces of the snake were also found inside the transformer, the crew concluded that it indeed had caused the power outage.

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