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| Electricity failure affects Western Isles and Skye | Electricity failure affects Western Isles and Skye |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| Electricity has been restored to 30,000 homes after a power failure hit the Western Isles and all of Skye. | Electricity has been restored to 30,000 homes after a power failure hit the Western Isles and all of Skye. |
| The electricity supply was disrupted at about 12:50, but was returned to Stornoway on Lewis and Portree on Skye about 20 minutes later. | The electricity supply was disrupted at about 12:50, but was returned to Stornoway on Lewis and Portree on Skye about 20 minutes later. |
| By about 16:30 power had been returned to 24,000 homes and the rest were connected by about 21:30. | By about 16:30 power had been returned to 24,000 homes and the rest were connected by about 21:30. |
| It was not known if the outage was linked to a fatal accident involving a forestry harvester hitting a powerline. | It was not known if the outage was linked to a fatal accident involving a forestry harvester hitting a powerline. |
| Scottish and Southern Energy said there had been a high voltage network fault. | Scottish and Southern Energy said there had been a high voltage network fault. |
| The company said it had restored all supplies, but the network was still operating below capacity. | The company said it had restored all supplies, but the network was still operating below capacity. |
| Fatal accident | Fatal accident |
| Engineers were sent to the scene of the fault, which SSE said was more significant than first thought. | Engineers were sent to the scene of the fault, which SSE said was more significant than first thought. |
| An SSE spokesman said: "As our network is operating at reduced capacity, we are asking customers with power in Lewis, Harris and Skye to limit their use of non essential electricity for the time being." | An SSE spokesman said: "As our network is operating at reduced capacity, we are asking customers with power in Lewis, Harris and Skye to limit their use of non essential electricity for the time being." |
| Meanwhile, Northern Constabulary said a man had died after the forestry harvester he was operating came into contact with an overhead powerline in Skye. | Meanwhile, Northern Constabulary said a man had died after the forestry harvester he was operating came into contact with an overhead powerline in Skye. |
| Emergency services were called to a wooded area off the A87 between Kyleakin and Broadford at about 13:30, where the vehicle was on fire. | Emergency services were called to a wooded area off the A87 between Kyleakin and Broadford at about 13:30, where the vehicle was on fire. |
| The man was declared dead at the scene. | The man was declared dead at the scene. |
| He was later named as 65-year old John MacKinnon from Crossal, on Skye. | |
| Police said a report would be sent to the procurator fiscal. | |
| It is not known if this incident was connected to the loss of electricity in Skye and the Western Isles. | It is not known if this incident was connected to the loss of electricity in Skye and the Western Isles. |