Updated 1.30pm

Thousands of people experienced another night of sweltering heat with little reprieve as power went out across several localities in what appears to be a never-ending heatwave.

Parts of Senglea, Birkirkara, San Ġwann, Rabat, Dingli, Kalkara, Vittoriosa, Cospicua, Żabbar and Marsascala faced another night in the dark as the power went out.

On Friday morning, readers said parts of Santa Venera have not had power for over 35 hours, while the electricity went out in parts of Qormi after 9am.

In Gżira and Swieqi, power had been out for 15 hours.

And in St Paul's Bay, some residents suffered a 12-hour outage. Power went out on Thursday at 7pm, and only returned around 8am on Friday.

By 1.30pm on Friday, power had still not returned to Birkirkara, Kalrkara and Żabbar.

The energy provider has blamed sustained heat for penetrating the road and impacting cables. 

Adding to the strain on the electricity grid, temperatures are expected to continue hovering in the forties.

The Meteorological Office released a red alert, warning that thermometers will on Friday read a maximum of 41°C but it will actually feel as hot as 43°C. It seems like this will remain the case up until at least Wednesday. 

Many resorted to social media to complain about the situation, with several claiming they were forced to try to sleep on their roofs or terraces to escape some of the indoor inferno.

A St Paul's Bay reader who found it very difficult to sleep said he and his relatives wrapped ice packs in plastic and placed them on their chest to cool down.  Although it worked for some time, they eventually left the house for a snack in the middle of the night to escape the heat and darkness.

One Senglea reader said this was the second night without power for him and his pregnant wife.

"It's simply unsustainable to sleep with this heat without even using AC or a fan or a cold drink, we had to resort to constant showers (and the water is as hot as boiling tea after a day in the sun) and our hand fan became our last resort.

"Now we are going to face the day, when no windows can be left open either, posing a further hazard," he said, questioning how, while his neighbourhood was also in the dark, the Valletta Cruise Terminal, Esplora and the docks did not seem to be affected by the power cut.

Another Senglea resident said she resorted to sleeping on the roof because it was the only cool option. 

"Now I’m off to buy a camping bed and a mosquito net and use my roof as a bedroom for the rest of summer because this is going to keep happening. What needs to be taken into consideration is the impact it is having on our well-being," said the resident, who preferred not to be named. 

'Maltese summer has become a nightmare'

Rabat resident Joe Grech said electricity all over Rabat went out at around 6pm on Thursday and only came back at about 3.30am.

"We endured a broken sleep in the stifling heat, and at one point woke up to wipe myself down with a facecloth, and went back on the bedsheets soaked in sweat.

"What a nightmare of a Maltese summer it's been so far: blackouts, sleepless nights, traffic jams, roads blocked with roadworks, crowded beaches, dust, dirt, noise, the stench of garbage bags rotting on pavements. What more could locals and tourists want?"

A reader from Dingli said his neighbourhood suffered two extensive power cuts: first on Wednesday between 10.45pm and Thursday 6.15am, and again on Thursday between 6.10pm until Friday 5am.

Another person said parts of Santa Venera have been without electricity for over 30 hours.  

"Last night was the 3rd consecutive night without electricity. It has never been this bad... There is a general feeling the area has been forgotten, especially when it was removed from the list of localities listed on their website," he said.

"Healthwise I don't think we can survive another evening in severe heat, I've slept a combined three hours over the last three nights. I've been forced to take leave from work as I simply cannot mentally focus being so sleep deprived."

'My dogs can barely breathe'

A Gżira reader said the lights went out on Thursday at 7.30pm just after she went shopping. 

"A full freezer and fridge of food. Is Enemalta going to compensate us for this? It's been a nightmare trying to sleep in such heat, my dogs can barely breathe and I'm truly worried. Just now took them to a friend."

Power cuts were first reported in Naxxar, Mosta and Għargħur on Monday night, with some residents experiencing outages for three consecutive nights. 

Parts of Żebbuġ, Qormi, Siġġiewi, Żurrieq and San Ġwann joined in on Tuesday, some even experiencing nearly 24 hours without electricity.

Power returns to Santa Venera after 35 hours

Power returned to parts of Santa Venera at around 10am on Friday, after going out on Wednesday at 11pm.

"You do not expect that in a civilised country, a whole street would be left without electricity for 35 hours with no explanation as to why,” a reader from Triq il-Parilja, whose family threw away €400 worth of food, told Times of Malta.

The reader's family have tried reaching out to Enemalta to understand why the street was left without power for two nights in a row.

“We are left without any answers. The Enemalta line is always super busy due to the number of power cuts and when we call the 153 helpline we are told that they have taken note of our situation.

“While we have a portable USB fan, the heat is still unbearable. We also had to throw away around €400 worth of food, because the food in our two fridges and freezers rotted in the heat.”

A fellow Santa Venera resident said they had to resort to buying take-out food for three days, after being forced to throw away all their food. 

Fluctuations in voltage

Numerous readers have meanwhile informed Times of Malta that they experienced large fluctuations in voltage supplies, with some saying their appliances have been damaged.

Others simply had to throw away their supply of refrigerated and frozen food.

Another reader, who had just been discharged from hospital expressed concern about her physical wellbeing, wondering whether her wound could become infected from all the sweating in the first 24 hours at home without power. 

Eight new faults

On Friday morning, Enemalta said that throughout the night, its workers continued repairing underground faults while the energy provider launched works to restore supply to customers impacted by eight new "network difficulties".

Most of the high-voltage network disruptions registered on Thursday night have already been resolved, with customers reconnected to the grid through alternative network connections in the same areas, it reassured.

Supply interruption in parts of Rabat and Mdina was restored early on Friday, while those impacted by network faults in parts of Msida, Vittoriosa, Cospicua, Kalkara and Żabbar will be reconnected to the grid as soon as ongoing repairs are completed on Friday.

Closing for business during peak time 'unacceptable'

The Association of Catering Establishments on Friday morning said it was seriously concerned about the financial impact of power shortages on the industry.

The impact on the catering industry was not limited to the loss of raw materials, but also the abrupt loss of sales during peak season.

"Many establishments in various localities have reported no power supply for day-long stretches, something that seriously cripples their daily sales and storage of refrigerated supplies.

"The fact ACE members are having to close for business and refuse bookings in peak July is unacceptable," it said in a statement.