Chilean authorities restored power to most homes following a massive blackout that left millions affected, prompting President Gabriel Boric to declare a state of emergency. The blackout led to widespread transport chaos in Santiago, with evacuations and significant public disruption. Officials indicated operational failures rather than sabotage caused the outage, which is the worst Chile has experienced in over a decade.
Chilean authorities have restored power to the majority of homes after a significant blackout impacted millions across the country. On Tuesday afternoon, the outage, described as the most severe in over a decade, prompted President Gabriel Boric to declare a state of emergency and implement a curfew in various regions to manage the situation. The blackout notably disrupted transportation services, especially in the capital city, Santiago, leading to widespread confusion and chaos.
President Boric expressed frustration with private companies managing the power grid, stating, “This is outrageous! The daily life of millions of Chileans can’t be impacted like this by companies that don’t do their job.” By early Wednesday, power officials reported that approximately 90 percent of electricity consumption had been reinstated in homes. This outage affected a large area of Chile, from Arica in the north to Los Lagos in the south, which is home to more than 90% of the nation’s population.
The blackout caused the stoppage of the Santiago metro system, leading to the evacuation of thousands and a significant increase in demand for alternative transportation, such as buses. The Interior Minister, Carolina Toha, clarified that there is no evidence of sabotage related to the power failure. She indicated that the cause likely stemmed from operational issues within the system rather than an intentional attack.
The incident created substantial gridlock and frustration, with many individuals resorting to walking for hours to reach home due to inoperable traffic signals. Public services, including hospitals and prisons, relied on emergency generators to maintain operations during the outage. Eyewitnesses reported instances of panic, including rescues from amusement park rides and elevators, further emphasizing the disruption caused by the blackout.
Chile has not experienced such an extensive blackout in approximately 15 years. The previous significant outage occurred in 2010, following a catastrophic earthquake that severely affected the nation’s power infrastructure.
In conclusion, the recent blackout in Chile, which left millions without electricity, highlighted vulnerabilities within the power management system. The swift response from authorities restored power to most areas, but not without significant disruption to daily life, transportation, and public services. President Boric’s condemnation of private companies managing the grid reflects ongoing concerns about infrastructure reliability, and the incident serves as a reminder of the importance of maintaining robust systems against future failures.
Original Source: www.thestandard.com.hk
