Chile plunges into darkness as president declares state of emergency

Last night was very dark for the people of Chile. In almost the entire country, due to a power outage, there was no electricity. Hospitals, among others, had to draw energy from their own generators. Difficulties in transport, in homes, as well as problems with the internet terrified millions of citizens and prevented normal functioning. In connection with this, the president decided to introduce a state of emergency.

Chilean President Gabriel Boric declared a state of emergency after a power outage plunged much of the country, including the capital Santiago, into darkness. The nation's leader made the announcement in a speech Tuesday evening, after the blackout had been ongoing for hours.

As reported by CNN, the National Disaster Prevention and Response Service reported that 14 of the country's 16 regions were affected by power outages. In addition , internet and mobile phone services were unavailable in most of the country. The power outage caused some transportation connections to be canceled, preventing a large part of the population from commuting to work. The subway system was not restored until Wednesday morning - after 7:00 a.m. local time.

Conditions were also difficult for those who stayed at home, as power outages prevented appliances such as air conditioners from working. The country is currently in the middle of summer, and in recent days temperatures have exceeded 30 degrees Celsius . It is estimated that the outage has affected about eight million homes.

SEE: Gdynia residents without heating or water. Services are still repairing the fault

It said hospitals, prisons and government buildings had switched to their own generators to keep essential services running.

In connection with the situation, the president shared advice on his social media. For example, he reminded to leave medications that require "cooling" in the refrigerator, and not to open the refrigerator too often and for a long time. In unexpected cases, he asked to call the health department.

A curfew was declared in the country. State gendarmerie forces were also sent to the streets to ensure security and improve traffic.

On Wednesday morning, the Ministry of the Interior said 94 percent of electricity supplies had been restored . Work is underway to restore full supplies.

SEE: Power outage in entire Sri Lanka. The failure was caused by... a monkey

Initial findings indicate that the blackout was caused by a high-voltage transmission line break . However, it is not known why the line was cut. The matter is being investigated.

However, the president himself blamed domestic energy companies for the human inconvenience. "We will not let this pass by indifferently and we will act decisively against companies that have not risen to the occasion. For this reason, all necessary investigations will be carried out," Boric announced.