Widespread power outages in Malta, one of Europe’s most popular tourist destinations, have drawn sharp criticism of Prime Minister Robert Abela’s government and businesses fear the situation could affect this year’s summer season, Reuters reports.

Enemalta, the island nation’s energy company, said record temperatures of 40-42.7 degrees Celsius had led to a spike in electricity consumption and that, despite being able to cope with increased demand, underground distribution cables were overheating and breaking.

Employers’ representatives say the power outages, which in some cases lasted for hours, have forced supermarkets and restaurants to throw away food stocks worth thousands of euros as fridges defrost.

Malta’s Ministry of Health confirmed on Tuesday that Dei Hospital, the country’s largest hospital, remained without power on Monday night due to a power cut and a 35-minute delay in the start-up of backup generators, although they were being checked that day.

The blackout also affected hospitals in Malta

Authorities launched an investigation, but the health ministry said the main equipment was battery operated.

The opposition Nationalist Party claimed on Tuesday that nurses at Mt Carmel Hospital were forced to use their mobile phones to provide power after generators there also failed during a power cut a few nights ago.

The party called the situation “shameful”, while accusing Abela’s government of spending millions of euros on a “corrupt” contract to build a new power plant while ignoring problems with the distribution system.

The contract in question was signed in 2014 and was later criticized in a report written by the island’s auditor general and is now the subject of a parliamentary inquiry.

Maltese hoteliers blame the situation for spoiling the country’s tourism reputation

The MHRA, the association representing hoteliers, also criticized the government, saying the power outages were having a long-term negative impact on tourism, a vital sector of Malta’s economy.

The association added that many of its members suffered losses due to loss of food supplies, cancellations and damage to equipment.

However, the MHRA said that the biggest damage had been done to Malta’s reputation as a tourist destination.

Robert Abela’s government has now said it will consider compensating for property damage and increasing the cost of maintaining the electricity distribution system.

The Maltese government has also offered to house elderly people affected by the blackout in air-conditioned nursing homes free of charge.

The Malta Meteorological Office said it expected the wave of extreme temperatures to dissipate by Wednesday morning and return to temperatures closer to 34 degrees Celsius.

The extreme heat also led to blackouts in Egypt, another popular tourist destination for Europeans, but that was a government decision to protect the grid.