Malawi suffers blackouts as drought exposes 98% reliance on hydro power

Shire river, which generates almost all of the country's power, has fallen to critical levels, leaving major cities struggling

Large parts of Malawi have been plunged into darkness as water levels at the country's main hydro power plant fell to critical levels due to a severe drought, according to its electricity company.

The impoverished southern African country which relies on hydroelectricity has been hit by intermitted blackouts since last year, but the outages have recently worsened, lasting up to 25 hours.