Power out for about an hour at Missouri Capitol, some people briefly stuck in elevators

Power outage blacks out Missouri Capitol

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri legislators have spent about an hour in the dark because of a power outage at the state Capitol in Jefferson City.

Several people were stuck in elevators when the power went out Tuesday. Capitol Police Chief Todd Hurt says they all were freed within 20 minutes and no injuries were reported.

The electricity went out at noon while lawmakers were debating legislation and scores of schoolchildren were touring the building.

Power was back on after about an hour.

A spokeswoman for the utility company AmerenUE said she did not immediately know the cause of the outage.

House and Senate leaders said they believed the outage was caused by a blown transformer near the Capitol.