A major power outage struck Chile on Tuesday, leaving millions without electricity. As a result, chaos spread across the country. The outage extended from Arica in the north to Los Lagos in the south. Consequently, more than 90% of Chile’s 20 million residents lost power, according to the Senapred disaster agency. Notably, this was the country’s worst blackout in over a decade.
The power failure began in the afternoon and immediately shut down Santiago’s metro system. As a result, thousands of commuters had to evacuate underground stations. Since the metro serves 2.3 million passengers daily, the disruption caused widespread inconvenience. Fortunately, the metro company quickly deployed workers to assist with evacuations.
Government Rules Out Attack, Cites System Failure
Authorities ruled out sabotage or an attack as the cause of the blackout. Instead, they stated that a technical failure was the likely reason.
Meanwhile, the outage caused severe traffic congestion because traffic lights stopped working. Consequently, many residents had to walk for hours in the scorching heat to reach home. Additionally, shops and offices closed early due to the disruption.
Residents Struggle Amid the Blackout
Many people faced difficulties throughout the day. For example, Maria Angelica Roman, 45, expressed her frustration: “They let us leave work because of the power cut, but now I don’t know how we will get home because all the buses are full.”
Similarly, Jonathan Macalupu, a 25-year-old bank clerk, described the impact on his workplace: “All operations at the bank where I work had to stop.”
President Boric Assesses the Situation
In response, President Gabriel Boric flew over the capital in a helicopter to evaluate the crisis. Meanwhile, Chilevision aired footage of people stranded on a high amusement park ride in Santiago. Thankfully, rescuers helped them get down safely. In addition, local media reported cases of people stuck in elevators.
In Valparaíso, businesses shut down early. Furthermore, heavy traffic added to the chaos.
Worst Blackout in 15 Years
Chile has one of the most reliable power grids in South America. However, this was its worst blackout in nearly 15 years. Previously, in 2010, a power plant failure left hundreds of thousands in darkness for hours.
