Chile experiences chaotic day due to massive blackout; no electricity, no transportation and no services

In the middle of summer, millions of people experienced chaos due to a massive blackout in Chile , caused by a failure of the electrical system, according to the government.

The massive power outage affected the entire country, from the Arica and Parinacota region in the far north to the Los Lagos region in the south, where just over 90% of Chile's population lives.

The Chilean government declared a state of emergency and a curfew from 10:00 p.m. local time until 6:00 a.m. today due to the blackout that left almost 20 million citizens without access to electricity.

She also dismissed the possibility of an attack on the energy supply network. “It would be a failure of the system itself,” said Interior Minister Carolina Tohá.

The incident occurred shortly after 3:00 p.m. local time. No major emergencies were reported, but the metro in the capital Santiago suspended its service, causing crowds of dozens of users.

People had to walk for hours in 30-degree heat after the metro was halted and the rest of the public transport network was congested.

"They let us leave work because of the power cut, but now I don't know how to get home because all the buses are full," explained María Angélica Román, 45 years old and an office worker.

The country's hospital system and prisons were operating on emergency generators. In the capital, street lights and traffic signals were not working. Banks were closed.

ISA InterChile, the company in charge of the power line that caused the blackout, explained that “at 3:16 p.m. an event occurred that affected the Nueva Maitencillo-Nueva Pan de Azúcar 2×500 kV Electric Transmission Line.”

The company said in a statement that “there have been no attacks, fires or explosions of equipment” and that they are collaborating with the authorities and competent bodies to clarify the causes of the contingency.

Chilean President Gabriel Boric expressed his outrage at ISA InterChile over the incident and said it was intolerable that “the daily lives of millions of people are affected due to the responsibility of one or more companies.”

I want you, citizens, to know that we will not let this go and that we will act firmly against companies that have not risen to the occasion," he said at a press conference.

At the time of this edition's closing, the National Electric Coordinator reported that a quarter of the service demand had been restored. It indicated that the total demand could be restored during the early morning.

A woman is rescued by firefighters from an elevator in Chile that stopped after losing power.

RECENT BLACKOUTS

A massive blackout affected Ecuador in the early hours of December 21, 2024 after several power rationings of up to 14 hours due to the energy crisis in the country.

Cuba suffered three major national blackouts in the last quarter of 2024 following the failure of a thermoelectric plant that is key to the National Electric System.

Venezuela faced daily power outages in 2024, especially in regions far from Caracas. Nicolás Maduro's government blamed the opposition, even though the military is guarding the facilities.

Mexico suffered minor power outages last May due to a heat wave that increased energy demand and affected 18 of the country's 32 states.

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