Venezuela hit by mass power outage
CARACAS — Much of Venezuela remained engulfed by darkness into early on Friday amid one of the largest power outages in years.
The blackout hit 22 of 23 states by some accounts. It struck the capital Caracas, which until now has been spared the worst of a collapse in the nation’s grid, at the peak of rush hour.
The government quickly blamed the outage on “sabotage” of a major hydroelectric dam.
In Caracas, traffic lights went out and the subway system ground to a halt, triggering gridlock in the streets and huge streams of people trekking long distances to get home from work.
The blackout in the capital was total and hit at 4:50 pm, just before nightfall as people usually set out for home early, well before the sun went down.
Commerce was shut down because most transactions are done with debit or credit cards.
Telephone services and access to the internet were also knocked out. The capital’s international airport was hit, according to social media posts from would-be travelers. A Copa Libertadores soccer game in the city of Barquisimeto was postponed.
As night set in, the nationwide outage dragged on and some people in Caracas banged pots and pans — a traditional Latin American method of letting off steam.
About seven hours later, the lights did come back on in some buildings in eastern Caracas.
Venezuelans are wearily accustomed to blackouts. For years, they have been common in the west of the oil-rich country, but have eventually spread to Caracas and other areas.
“We are tired. Exhausted,” said Estefania Pacheco, a sales executive forced to walk 12 kilometers from her office in eastern Caracas to her home across town.
“It is so sad every time this happens,” said the mother of two.
Critics blame the government for failing to invest in upkeep of the electrical grid.
Vice-President Delcy Rodriguez alleged that “extremist sectors” had waged “a large scale attack”. She said power was back on in some eastern states.
The state power company Corpoelec said there has been sabotage at a big hydroelectric plant called Guri in Bolivar state. The facility is one of the biggest in Latin America.
“It’s part of the electric war against the state,” the company said on Twitter.
“We won’t allow it. We’re working to re-establish the service.”
A year ago, President Nicolas Maduro asked the armed forces to provide security to protect the country’s hydroelectric facilities.
Maduro said on social media that the blackout was part of an “electrical war” directed by US imperialism. It will fail, he added.
Venezuelan Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez said rightwing extremists intent on creating pandemonium by leaving the South American nation without power for several days were behind the blackout, but he offered no evidence.