Head of Turkish Grid Operator Resigns after Massive Power Cut

The head of Turkey's national grid operator has resigned after a crippling nationwide power cut, Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said Monday, blaming the company for having taken "too many risks".

"We have found out that five power distribution lines as well as the lines between the east and the west were disabled within microseconds," Yıldız told a news conference in Ankara a week after Turkey's worst power outage in 15 years.

He added that human error in addition to a technical fault had caused the blackout and that Kemal Yildir had resigned "after holding himself responsible".

Several of the company's staff have also been sacked, the minister said, adding that "our friends might have taken too many risks".

The power company's chief Yildir had told reporters after his resignation that his staff had acted without his authority, causing what he described as an accident.

The day-long cut -- the worst since the earthquake of 1999 -- deprived most of the country of electricity on Tuesday, hitting some 50 provinces of the country's 81 provinces, from the Greek border to those in the southeast neighbouring Iran and Iraq. 

It halted metro services in Turkey's major cities, including Istanbul and the capital Ankara, created huge traffic jams and inflicted losses on businesses. 

The authorities had said all possible causes were under investigation, including terrorism.