Video: Huge power outage that plunged Manhattan into darkness ends

A power outage that gripped New York's Manhattan ended on Saturday after it plunged Broadway theaters into darkness, brought subways to a halt and flicked off billboards in Times Square.

About 42,000 customers lost electricity in the early evening, according to power utility Con Edison, which didn't indicate a cause of the power failure.

The power returned around 10:00 pm (0200 GMT), accompanied by applause that could be heard throughout the formerly darkened streets.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Twitter that the outage was caused by a "manhole fire," but later told CNN it was under investigation.

Earlier in the day, dozens of people posted photos on social media of streets, subways and apartments shrouded in darkness.

The blackout disrupted services across the United States's most-populous city, with New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Twitter encouraging "everyone to avoid below-ground subway stations," which account for most of the city's rail network.

'Blackout'

At the Row NYC hotel on 8th Avenue, dozens of guests were sitting on the sidewalk outside the property.

Hotel staff had asked them not to go inside as there were no lights for them to see by and the elevators weren't working, 16-year-old Spanish tourist Alba Moreno said.

Con Edison said it would have most of its customers back online by midnight, but there were few details about the cause of the outage.

The cut affected the western chunk of Manhattan, particularly the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood and the Broadway theater district.

Most Broadway shows were canceled, including hit musicals "Hamilton" and "The Lion King," while a choir performing at Carnegie Hall moved out to the sidewalk to continue their show.

It took place on the anniversary of a 1977 power cut that affected virtually all of New York as it was struggling through an economic crisis.

Looting and vandalism then broke out, affecting more than a thousand businesses before the lights came back on 25 hours later.

Agence France-Presse