Taiwan Quick Take: Snake cuts power to 300,000

A beauty snake that entered a substation in Chuchi (竹崎), Chiayi County, caused a power failure that affected more than 300,000 households, according to Taiwan Power Company (Taipower) officials. The blackout affected Chiayi City and the urban townships of Minhsiung (民雄), Chuchi and Chungpu (中埔), inundating the Taipower office with phone calls inquiring about the cause. Taipower technicians tracked the origin of the power disruption to a 1m snake that had caused a short circuit. Power was restored within six minutes, but power company workers could not explain how the snake managed to get into the substation, which is protected with nets and poison to deter animals.