Blackout in Cuba: Over 10 million people left without electricity
Illustrative photo: a blackout in Cuba (Getty Images)
A blackout occurred in Cuba due to the shutdown of one of the country's largest power plants. As a result, millions of local residents lost electricity, Reuters reports.
According to the media outlet, the Antonio Guiteras power plant malfunctioned shortly before noon.
As a result, officials canceled essential services. Schools and universities were closed until Sunday. The government also ordered the cancellation of entertainment and cultural events, and nightclubs were shut down.
The Cuban government stated that only essential workers from the food industry and healthcare would be required to go to work on Friday.
Energy officials said they could not predict how long it would take to restore the electricity supply.
Reuters notes that Cubans have begun actively using generators.
"The fuel shortage is the biggest factor," said Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero.
Strong winds and storms, which began after Hurricane Milton last week, prevented the delivery of the scarce fuel to Cuba's power plants.
"The country's leadership is giving priority to solving this critical energy issue for the country. There will be no peace until the electricity supply is restored," said Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel.
Incidentally, at the end of June, power outages occurred in Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and much of Croatia's Adriatic coast.
The cause of that blackout was an abnormal heatwave, with temperatures reaching around 40 degrees Celsius.
