Residents express frustration as authorities work to restore power and investigate outages.
Chile Faces Massive Power Outage Affecting Millions
Chile Faces Massive Power Outage Affecting Millions
Nationwide blackout disrupts transportation and local services, including operations at the Escondida mine.
A large-scale power outage has left millions of people in Chile without electricity, impacting various regions across the country including the capital, Santiago. The national disaster management agency, SENAPRED, reported that the blackout commenced earlier this Tuesday and has affected areas spanning from Arica and Parinacota in the north to Los Lagos in the south.
To date, the precise magnitude of the outage remains unclear, though it has been significant enough to disrupt operations at Escondida, the world’s largest copper mine, according to a source familiar with the situation. LATAM Airlines warned that it might face delays in flights during the power disruption and is advising passengers to verify their flight statuses.
In Santiago, the disruption has led to a suspension of metro services, with stations being evacuated and closed. Eyewitness footage captured moments of chaos as commuters were seen walking up deactivated escalators and dealing with nonfunctional traffic signals. The city has witnessed long lines for the buses that are still operational. One local, Maria Angelica Roman, shared her frustration, stating, “They let us leave work because of the power cut, but now I don't know how we will get home because all the buses are full.”
Chile's Interior Minister, Carolina Toha, addressed the situation on social media platform X, indicating an emergency meeting would convene to evaluate the ongoing restoration efforts. SENAPRED reported that electricity suppliers are actively probing the faults leading to the outages and working on bringing services back online; however, they noted that no critical emergency situations had been reported thus far.
To date, the precise magnitude of the outage remains unclear, though it has been significant enough to disrupt operations at Escondida, the world’s largest copper mine, according to a source familiar with the situation. LATAM Airlines warned that it might face delays in flights during the power disruption and is advising passengers to verify their flight statuses.
In Santiago, the disruption has led to a suspension of metro services, with stations being evacuated and closed. Eyewitness footage captured moments of chaos as commuters were seen walking up deactivated escalators and dealing with nonfunctional traffic signals. The city has witnessed long lines for the buses that are still operational. One local, Maria Angelica Roman, shared her frustration, stating, “They let us leave work because of the power cut, but now I don't know how we will get home because all the buses are full.”
Chile's Interior Minister, Carolina Toha, addressed the situation on social media platform X, indicating an emergency meeting would convene to evaluate the ongoing restoration efforts. SENAPRED reported that electricity suppliers are actively probing the faults leading to the outages and working on bringing services back online; however, they noted that no critical emergency situations had been reported thus far.
