Venezuela blames US as blackout hits capital
MUCH OF Venezuela has been engulfed by darkness amid one of the largest power cuts in years, raising tensions in a country already on edge from ongoing political turmoil.
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.
Thousands of commuters flooded into the streets because subway service was stopped. Cars jammed the streets amid confusion generated by blackened traffic lights. Others had to walk long distances to get home.
At the darkened maternity ward at the Avila Clinic in wealthy eastern Caracas, mothers expressed anguish as nurses holding candles monitored the vital signs of premature babies in incubators.
Venezuela’s socialist government blasted the outage as an “electrical war” directed by the United States.
Communications minister Jorge Rodriguez said right-wing extremists intent on causing pandemonium in Venezuela and taking orders from Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio were behind the blackout.
“A little bit of patience,” Mr Rodriguez urged on state television, saying service would be restored.
“If you’re in your home, stay in your home. If you’re in a protected space or at work, it’s better for you to stay there.”
But as night wore on in Caracas, patience was running thin.
Residents threw open their windows and banged pots and pans in the darkness. Some shouted abuse aimed at President Nicolas Maduro in a sign of mounting frustration.
By midnight, power had yet to be restored in Caracas and many other areas.
The outage comes as Venezuela is in the throes of a political struggle between Mr Maduro and opposition leader Juan Guaido, the head of congress who declared himself the nation’s rightful president in January and is recognised by the United States and about 50 nations.