Colombo, Aug 18 (IANS): Sri Lanka's Power Minister Dullas Alahapperuma has appointed a high-level committee to investigate a nationwide power outage which plunged the country into darkness for over seven hours on Monday, disrupting daily life and bringing businesses to a standstill, it was reported on Tuesday.

In a statement, Alahapperumal expressed regret over the inconvenience caused, adding that he had appointed the committee to probe the massive failure and submit its findings within a week, reports Xinhua news agency.

"I have ordered a comprehensive report within a week. We will keep the public informed of all details with regard to the power failure by next Tuesday," he added.

A sudden power cut which started on Monday noon, plunged the island into crisis as technicians said the failure was due to a technical issue in the Kerawalapitiya Sub Power Station, located on the outskirts of Colombo.

Power was restored on Monday night, after an estimated seven to eight hours.

The power failure led to a shortage of water supply and severe traffic congestion in the capital as people began to store up on fuel and other supplies.

Monday's incident was the worst to be reported in recent years after a nationwide power failure hit the island in 2016.