Egyptian state television says a power cut at the Egyptian State TV building took all state-run channels off the air for about 50 minutes.
Local media outlets said yesterday evening's interruption was the first time the mouthpiece of the state has gone dark since its inception in 1960.
Egypt's minister of electricity, who was en route to Saudi Arabia at the time, immediately returned to Cairo to follow up on the matter, state media reported.
Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab ordered an immediate investigation into the causes of the power cut. State media reported backup generators, which typically operate automatically, failed to start yesterday.
Egypt the Arab world's most populous country, faces a chronic power shortage causing rolling blackouts, particularly in summer, that affect tens of millions of people.
