Power outage plunges most of Chile into darkness for hours

Photo: AP

A massive power outage hit Chile on Tuesday, leaving 90% of the country in darkness. Electricity providers rushed to restore service after the blackout affected millions of people. The sudden loss of power caused major problems, including stranded commuters, disrupted phone networks, and halted businesses. Daily life came to a standstill as people struggled to cope without electricity.

The government was caught off guard by the scale of the blackout. In response, officials declared a state of emergency and imposed a nighttime curfew, which will last until 6 a.m. Wednesday. Interior Minister Carolina Tohá said the main concern was public safety. Thousands of soldiers were sent across the country to maintain order and enforce the curfew.

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The blackout led to widespread disruptions. Mobile phone networks went down, and the world's largest copper mine had to stop operations. Water shortages were reported in some areas because electric pumps stopped working. Hospitals and government offices managed to keep running with emergency generators.

After about seven hours, power started returning in some areas. People cheered as lights came back on in the streets. By 11 p.m., around half of the 8 million affected households had electricity again. President Gabriel Boric called the situation "outrageous" and said it was unacceptable for so many people to be affected.

The National Electrical Coordinator, which manages Chile's power grid, explained that the problem started with a failure in a high-voltage transmission line. This line carries electricity from the Atacama Desert in the north to the capital, Santiago, in the central valley. The failure caused a chain reaction, leading to plant shutdowns and overloads that resulted in a nationwide blackout. Officials ruled out cyberattacks or criminal activity and are still investigating the exact cause.

With traffic lights out, trains stopped, and ATMs shut down, chaos spread across Chile. Soccer matches were canceled, classes were suspended, and concerts were postponed. Police and volunteers worked together to direct traffic, while gas stations struggled to operate without power. Many businesses, including restaurants, bars, and cinemas, suffered losses. People stuck in subway cars were evacuated, and elderly residents worried about being trapped in buildings due to broken elevators.

The power failure affected 14 of Chile's 16 regions, including Santiago, home to 8.4 million people. The national disaster response agency, Senapred, confirmed the widespread outage. Officials said hospitals, prisons, and government offices were using backup generators. In Santiago and Valparaíso, emergency teams evacuated people from subway stations and tunnels that had gone dark.

Videos on social media showed streets without working traffic lights, people using phone flashlights to navigate dark subway stations, and police helping people out of buildings. Transport Minister Juan Carlos Muñoz advised people to stay home, warning that public transport was running at reduced capacity.

Santiago International Airport switched to emergency power but warned that some flights might be affected. In the mining industry, some copper mines shut down entirely due to power failure, while others used backup power to keep operating. State-owned mining company Codelco confirmed that all its operations were impacted by the outage.

The government and electricity providers are working to fully restore power and prevent a similar crisis in the future.

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