Chile experiences massive blackout

By Gerardo Lemos, Ana Melgar and Mauricio Torres, CNN en Español, and Michael Rios, CNN

(CNN) — A massive blackout hit Chile on Tuesday, affecting 14 of the country’s 16 regions, including the capital Santiago and its surrounding area, the National Disaster Prevention and Response Service (Senapred) said.

The outage has led to the suspension of parts of Santiago’s transport network, a soccer match was delayed, and much of the country’s internet is down.

President Gabriel Boric has declared a state of emergency in the affected regions to prevent crimes. A curfew will be in effect from 10:00 p.m. Tuesday until 6:00 a.m. Wednesday, local time.

Authorities have not yet reported any emergency situations as a result of the outage, Senapred said.

The country’s Interior Minister Carolina Tohá Morales said in a press conference that the massive interruption in “a large part of the country” was caused by disconnection of one the Chilean electrical system’s transmission lines.

The Disaster Risk Management Committee is holding an emergency meeting to determine the scope of the blackout, added Tohá Morales, who said that she hopes service will be restored in the next few hours.

“We will continue working until the service is restored,” she said.

The National Electrical Coordinator, an autonomous body that oversees the operation of the Chilean electrical system, said it has activated a service recovery plan to restore power as soon as possible.

Tohá Morales said the national gendarmerie force has been instructed to reinforce its presence in the streets to maintain security and support the flow of traffic.

Disruption across the country

Metro service in Santiago was suspended and passengers were evacuated, Transport Minister Juan Carlos Muñoz said. Santiago International Airport said on X that flights are operating regularly thanks to backup systems, but Chile’s LATAM Airlines said some of its flights could be affected.

The outage knocked out internet connectivity across much of Chile, according to internet watchdog NetBlocks, which reported national connectivity at 25% of ordinary levels.

Officials also suspended a soccer match during the national Copa Chile tournament, saying it would be rescheduled shortly.

Health Minister Ximena Aguilera said its healthcare network is fully operational, running on generators that will provide hours of power. Officials are monitoring health services and vaccine depots, as well as electro-dependent patients.

The Chilean government also said that the entire penitentiary system is operational with backup power.

In addition to Santiago, the blackout has also affected the regions of Arica and Parinacota, Tarapacá, Antofagasta, Atacama, Coquimbo, Araucanía, Valparaíso, O’Higgins, Maule, Biobío, Los Lagos, Los Ríos and Ñuble.

The power outage is happening in the middle Chile’s summer, where temperatures in Santiago are around 30 degrees Celsius (around 86 degrees Fahrenheit).

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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