Staff Reporter
Authorities in Chile have declared a state of emergency and imposed an overnight curfew following a widespread blackout that left commuters stranded, disabled traffic signals, and paralyzed numerous businesses. Millions across the South American nation are now without electricity.
This blackout is the most severe the country has experienced since the devastating magnitude 8.8 earthquake in March 2010.
As the world’s leading copper producer, Chile’s copper industry has been significantly affected by the outage. Furthermore, the ongoing Viña del Mar music festival has had to reschedule its events for Saturday, March 1, due to the power cut.
Chilean government officials report that at least three individuals dependent on electricity for medical needs have died during the blackout. It remains uncertain whether these fatalities were directly linked to the power outage or the absence of backup generators.
Chilean Health Minister Ximena Aguilera announced that a clinical audit will be conducted to investigate any potential responsibilities related to the deaths of three individuals during the recent blackout.
As of Wednesday morning, electricity has been restored to 90 percent of households in Chile, though some cities are still experiencing intermittent power. On the same morning, Reuters reported that major copper mines are gradually coming back online.
Juan Carlos Olmedo, head of the National Electric Coordinator (CEN), explained late Tuesday that the blackout began at 3:16 PM local time due to an “unwanted operation” in the control and protection systems of a northern power line.
“This is similar to any automatic system that operates under specific logic,” he said. “In this case, it failed to follow that logic and did not function as expected.”
Videos circulating on social media from across Chile, a country stretching 4,300 km (over 2,600 miles) along the southern Pacific coast, depict scenes of chaos at intersections without functioning traffic lights.
Many people resorted to using their mobile phones as flashlights in the underground metro, while police were dispatched to help evacuate office buildings.
Transport Minister Juan Carlos Muñoz urged citizens to stay home, stating it was “not a good time to go out, as our transport system is not operating normally.” He noted that at most, only 27% of city traffic lights are functioning.
The Spanish news agency EFE reported significant material damage across the country. Many households have suffered losses as the restoration of electricity has impacted refrigerators, washing machines, dishwashers, and other appliances.
