State of Emergency Declared in Chile Following Nationwide Blackout

A state of emergency was declared in Chile after a mass blackout left millions, including Santiago, without power. Recovery efforts restored power to 90% of affected homes, but 220,000 customers remain without electricity. Investigations into the cause of the outage are under way, with the government implementing a curfew to maintain safety.

On Tuesday, a state of emergency was declared by Chile’s President Gabriel Boric as a significant electricity blackout left the majority of the nation, including the capital Santiago, in darkness. This incident occurred during a peak summer period, affecting approximately 8 million homes. The National Disaster Prevention and Response Service reported that 14 of the 16 regions of Chile experienced the blackout, which began on Tuesday afternoon.

By Wednesday morning, the government announced that power had been restored to 90% of affected homes and businesses. Nonetheless, Interior Minister Carolina Tohá mentioned that roughly 220,000 customers were still without electricity, although all public transport services had resumed. An investigation into the outage has been initiated, aiming to determine the cause behind the disruption of a high-voltage transmission line linking the Atacama Desert to Santiago.

The President emphasized the necessity for this state of emergency to ensure public safety amid ongoing problems caused by the blackout. To manage the situation, a curfew was implemented from 10 p.m. Tuesday to 6 a.m. Wednesday. In response to the incident, President Boric criticized electricity companies for their handling of the situation, stating, “it is not tolerable” for such a wide-scale outage to impact millions and pledged thorough investigations.

The transport sector faced major disruptions, particularly the metro services in Santiago, which were suspended, stranding thousands of commuters. Videos circulated online depicted passengers evacuating metro cars in complete darkness. Despite the challenges, Santiago International Airport indicated that operations were continuing normally due to functioning emergency systems.

The blackout had widespread effects, as most businesses ceased operations, and internet connectivity plunged to about 25% of normal levels according to NetBlocks, an internet watchdog. Some planned events, such as a soccer match in the national tournament, were also postponed due to the outage. Tohá confirmed that essential services in hospitals and government buildings transitioned to backup power sources to maintain operations during the electricity crisis.

The recent blackout in Chile has prompted a state of emergency declaration, affecting millions and resulting in significant disruptions across multiple regions. While power restoration efforts have achieved notable success, ongoing challenges remain for numerous customers. The President’s and Interior Minister’s commitments to investigate the causes and ensure public safety underscore the urgency of addressing the issues posed by this incident, while attempting to prevent future occurrences of such scale.

Original Source: wsvn.com