Power line break puts out the lights in Washington
A power line broke loose at an electrical substation near Washington on April 7, briefly dimming the White House, emptying museums and cutting electricity to government buildings and the US Capitol for hours.
The Justice Department and State Department were among thousands of customers whose power was cut in the early afternoon, along with the University of Maryland and some World Bank offices.
The outage was caused by a power line breaking loose in Maryland state south of Washington, causing a drop in voltage, electrical company officials said.
The outage was centered in the heart of Washington before power was largely restored a few hours later.
White House offices and the press room went dark briefly before backup sources kicked in. President Barack Obama was in the Oval Office and did not notice the power failure, spokesman Josh Earnest told a news briefing.
"Things are slowly but surely returning to normal here in the White House complex," he said.