Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

World

Temporary blackout hits Venezuela, including parts of capital

-

A power outage hit a wide area of eastern Caracas and several cities in the interior of Venezuela for at least two hours Friday.

The outage started at 3:00 pm (1900 GMT) and service began being restored about two hours later.

Electricity Minister Jesse Chacon said the blackout affected Aragua state, which includes the east of the capital, as well as Miranda, Carabobo and Falcon states, and the Andean region.

"In an hour, we hope to start re-establishing service," the minister said.

According to Globovision, the outage was affecting at least five states.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was in the middle of a televised national meeting when the power went out -- though the broadcast, which was being taped in an unaffected area of the capital, was not interrupted.

"We are going to investigate," he said.

In eastern Caracas, people were trapped in skyscraper elevators, and in the underground train service's trains and tunnels.

On December 3, 2013, a major blackout in Venezuela affected 70 percent of the country for around four hours.

The problems are often sparked when the power transmission lines are overloaded.

A power outage hit a wide area of eastern Caracas and several cities in the interior of Venezuela for at least two hours Friday.

The outage started at 3:00 pm (1900 GMT) and service began being restored about two hours later.

Electricity Minister Jesse Chacon said the blackout affected Aragua state, which includes the east of the capital, as well as Miranda, Carabobo and Falcon states, and the Andean region.

“In an hour, we hope to start re-establishing service,” the minister said.

According to Globovision, the outage was affecting at least five states.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was in the middle of a televised national meeting when the power went out — though the broadcast, which was being taped in an unaffected area of the capital, was not interrupted.

“We are going to investigate,” he said.

In eastern Caracas, people were trapped in skyscraper elevators, and in the underground train service’s trains and tunnels.

On December 3, 2013, a major blackout in Venezuela affected 70 percent of the country for around four hours.

The problems are often sparked when the power transmission lines are overloaded.

AFP
Written By

With 2,400 staff representing 100 different nationalities, AFP covers the world as a leading global news agency. AFP provides fast, comprehensive and verified coverage of the issues affecting our daily lives.

You may also like:

World

Tycoon Morris Chang received one of Taiwan's highest medals of honour to recognise his achievements as the founder of semiconductor giant TSMC - Copyright...

World

An Iranian military truck carries a Sayad 4-B missile past a portrait of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a military parade on April...

Business

Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg contends freshly released Meta AI is the most intelligent digital assistant people can freely use - Copyright AFP...

Tech & Science

Don’t be too surprised to see betting agencies getting involved in questions like this: “Would you like to make billions on new tech?” is...