Millions without power as Cuba hit by latest major blackout
Cuba is experiencing a nationwide electricity blackout, the latest in a series of grid failures caused by aging infrastructure and fuel shortages. The situation is exacerbated by ongoing US sanctions that restrict oil shipments to the island.
Why it matters
The recurring blackouts highlight the severe humanitarian and economic crisis in Cuba, impacting essential services like hospitals and schools.
Image source, EPA/Shutterstock By Maia Davies Published 33 minutes ago Millions in Cuba were left without power on Friday as the country was plunged into yet another major blackout.
The country's entire electricity grid suffered "total disconnection" that triggered a nationwide outage, Cuba's energy ministry said.
Power was restored to some priority areas by late evening, including those near hospitals and water pumping stations in the capital Havana, grid operator UNE said.
It is at least the sixth partial or total blackout to hit Cuba this year, where ageing electricity infrastructure and chronic fuel shortages have been placed under further strain by a US blockade on oil shipments to the communist-run nation.
UNE said the outage started just before 14:00 local time on Friday (18:00 GMT) due to a transmission fault coupled with poor weather conditions in central Cuba.
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