An unlucky lightning strike caused a short-lived power outage in Monaco on Monday morning.

While part of the Principality escaped unscathed, two-thirds of the territory was without electricity from 09:24. The blackout also affected neighbouring Beausoleil and Cap-d’Ail.

Throughout the blackout, the Princess Grace Hospital was unaffected as emergency generators started automatically. The train service was also unaffected, apart from the usual delays.

More than twenty calls were received by the fire service, which was called out to rescue a number of people stuck in lifts.

Power started to return from 10:15 and by 10:33 the whole of Monaco was back on the grid, with telephone lines and the Internet fully restored.