Major power failure in Venezuela extends into second day

A massive power failure extended into a second day in Venezuela, marking one of the worst blackouts in recent memory for a nation accustomed to persistent electricity problems.

Major business interruption

The government suspended work and school activities in the country of 30 million people after thousands were forced to walk home on darkened highways and avenues in urban centers Thursday afternoon. Most businesses remained closed in the capital Caracas on Friday morning with few people out on the streets.

While the socialist government was quick to blame the incident on sabotage of the nation’s biggest and closely guarded hydroelectric plant, it appears other sources of electricity failed to pick up the slack, including thermoelectric units in the center and west of the country. With lights now off for as long as 16 hours, communication has also become an issue, with many mobile phone batteries losing their charge, as well as sporadic signals.

Communications Minister Jorge Rodriguez implied that the U.S. could be involved in the incident, a comment echoed by President Nicolas Maduro. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Florida Senator Marco Rubio scoffed at the accusations and said the blame rests squarely on the socialist regime’s inefficiency and lack of maintenance.

‘Electricity war’

“The electricity war announced and led by U.S. imperialism against our people will be defeated,” Maduro wrote on his Twitter account. “No one will defeat the people of Bolivar and Chavez. Maximum unity of the patriots!”

Pompeo shot back: “Maduro’s policies bring nothing but darkness. No food. No medicine. Now, no power. Next, no Maduro.”

As Maduro fends off a resurgent opposition that says his latest term is illegitimate because it stemmed from a fraudulent election, the accusations of U.S. meddling to force his removal have increased. The U.S. is one of 60 countries now backing the opposition’s Juan Guaido in his bid to form a transition government while Maduro has kept the loyalty of his allies in Cuba, Russia, China and Turkey.

Hospitals affected

In Venezuela on Friday, hospitals were affected by the outage. Just a few have power generators to partially continue operations, according to Feder Alvarez, a member of Doctors for Health, a local nongovernmental organization.

The blackout caused traffic to snarl across the capital on Thursday and the subway was forced to close. Travelers also reported that the lights went out in the international airport near Caracas, the country’s largest. On social media, users reported blackouts from the Andes to the Caribbean coast, or in about 19 of 23 states. The government hasn’t yet provided a comprehensive account or scope of the incident.

Rodriguez, the information minister, told the Telesur network that power had been restored in the entirety of the country’s eastern region after a “technical and cyber” attack against the Guri hydroelectric power system. He said power would be back across the country within the next few hours. That has yet to materialize.

“Those who try by every means to provoke regime change in Venezuela will continue receiving the powerful response of the Venezuelan people,” Rodriguez said.

The public utility Corpoelec claimed earlier that electric generation at Venezuela’s Guri dam had been sabotaged. The facility in southern Bolivar state powers almost two thirds of the country.

“We have again been victims of an electricity war. This time, we have been attacked on the power generation and transmission side from Bolivar state, specifically the Guri, the backbone of power,” Electricity Minister Luis Motta said on state television. Speaking just after 6 p.m. local time, Motta said then that service would be restored in about three hours.

Infrastructure neglect amid economic collapse

Rolling blackouts and water shortages have become a near-daily occurrence across Venezuela as infrastructure falls into disarray after years of mismanagement and exodus of personnel. Major cities and towns often lose power for hours at a time. According to industry analysts, the electrical crisis is due to neglect amid the country’s economic collapse.

The capital was submerged in darkness after sundown Thursday. In eastern Caracas, Venezuelans banged pots and pans in protest and yelled “Maduro!” from their balconies as part of a game where the listeners respond with an expletive.

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