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Cuba Plunged into Darkness as Major Plant Fails; Government Closes Schools Amid Nationwide Blackout

Oct 18, 2024, 07:09 PM

Cuba suffered a nationwide blackout on Friday after the unexpected failure of the Antonio Guiteras Thermoelectric Plant at 11 a.m., causing the entire National Electric Power System to be disconnected. The outage plunged approximately 10 million people into darkness, affecting essential services and leaving Havana without functioning traffic lights. The government responded by shutting down schools and non-essential workplaces for at least three days, implementing emergency measures to conserve energy as the country grapples with severe fuel shortages. Prime Minister Manuel Marrero cited fuel shortages and infrastructure failures, stating that Cuba is 'not yet in a bottomless abyss.' The Unión Eléctrica is working to restore power to the grid. The blackout follows days of prolonged power outages exceeding 12 hours daily and comes amid what officials describe as the worst economic crisis since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Internet traffic in Cuba also declined significantly due to the power outage.