CARACAS, March 9, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Venezuela’s government struggled to cope Friday with a massive electricity blackout that paralyzed much of the country as President Nicolas Maduro blamed the chaos on US sabotage.
Even by the standards of crisis-weary Venezuelans, the power cut — which
began late Thursday — was one of the longest and most widespread in memory, heightening tensions in Maduro’s power struggle with his US-backed rival, opposition leader Juan Guaido.
Maduro shut down offices and schools “in order to facilitate efforts for
the recovery of electricity service in the country,” Vice President Delcy
Rodriguez tweeted.
Power supply was gradually being restored to large areas of Caracas on
Friday afternoon, as well as parts of Miranda state and Vargas, which
contains the country’s international airport and main port.
However, it was short-lived as the lights went off again, extending the
blackout beyond 24 hours.
Large lines formed at the few gas stations open as people fetched fuel for
generators. Some took gas from their cars.
The outage had left most of the country in chaos, crippling day-to-day
functioning of hospitals and other public services, according to local press
reports.
The blackout hit Thursday at 4.50 pm (2050 GMT) — just before nightfall.
Traffic lights went out and the subway system ground to a halt, triggering
gridlock in the streets and huge streams of angry people trekking long
distances to get home from work.
Thousands of homes in Caracas — a crime-ridden city of two million people
— were without water.
Telephone services and access to the internet were also knocked out.
The capital’s Simon Bolivar international airport was hit, as were others
across the country.
The state power company Corpoelec said there had been sabotage at the Guri hydroelectric plant in Bolivar state, one of the largest in Latin America. It gave no details.
“The electrical war announced and directed by US imperialism against our
people will be defeated,” Maduro tweeted.
Later, his communications minister, Jorge Rodriguez, announced on state
television that Venezuela would make a complaint about the US’s alleged role in the blackout before the UN Commission on Human Rights.
Guaido meanwhile reiterated his call for mass protests on Saturday.
“All Venezuela, now with more force than ever, returns to the streets of
the whole country, we return to the streets and we won’t leave until we
achieve our goal,” he said.
Maduro is struggling in the confrontation with Guaido, who has declared
himself interim president and is now backed by some 50 countries led by the United States. — NNN-AGENCIES
