A power outage shut down a large part of Kiama Downs for over an hour this morning at around 6:20am Thursday 18 January 2024.

Endeavour Energy told The Bugle that the cause of the outage was a magpie on the High Voltage mains on Riversdale Road that caused the short circuit. Residents on Facebook described a loud flash and bang before the power went out. The outage affected 1076 Endeavour customers.

The posts indicated power was out on Brown St and Oxley Avenue. All power was restored by 8am.

An incident also occurred this morning at around 6:45am on the South Coast Rail Line where a train hit an unknown object on the line and was damaged. Transport NSW told The Bugle that two buses were sent to be used to transfer passengers from the train so they could continue their journey to their destinations. 

No injuries have been reported.

Transport NSW said it was possible the incident was caused by a wild animal, and the train was taken to Sydney for repairs. Buses are replacing trains on the South Coast line. 

The Bugle will update this article with any further developments.