A massive power outage has left 19 million people without electricity in Chile on Tuesday.
The blackout affected the northern Arica and Parinacota region to the southern Los Lagos region, according to the Undersecretariat of the Interior.
The power failure was first reported at 3:15pm local time in several parts of the country.
The National Electrical Coordinator, the agency in charge of Chile’s power grid, said the outage was caused by a disconnection in the transmission system in the Norte Chico region.
The outage left about 98.5 percent of the population and close to 80.1 percent of customers without electricity.
At least 582,430 people were left without electricity in the communes around the Santiago metropolitan region, the Electricity and Fuels Superintendence said.
It also said that 328,488 customers in Los Lagos and another 161,843 residents in Los Ríos also did not have power.
Several cities reported the return of electricity by 5pm local time, local broadcasters.
Interior Minister, Carolina Tohá, went on X to announce that an emergency meeting was scheduled with the Disaster Risk Management Committees.
‘Given the power outage that is occurring between the regions of Arica and Parinacota and Los Lagos, I have called for an immediate meeting of the National #Cogrid [Disaster Risk Management Committees], where we will adopt measures to address the emergency and work on restoring the service,’ she said.
People sit inside a restaurant in Santiago, the capital of Chile, that was affected by Tuesday afternoon’s nationwide power outage
A man walks in a parking garage during a power outage, in Santiago, Chile on Tuesday
People stand outside buildings after a large power outage struck vast swaths of Chile. The National Electrical Coordinator, the agency in charge of country’s power grid, said the outage was caused by a disconnection in the transmission system in the Norte Chico region
The subway service in the capital Santiago, where millions of passengers are served, was shutdown by 3:20pm.
The outage also caused streets lights to stop working and led to chaos on the roads, including a crash between a mini van and a car that left four people injured in Santiago.
The lack of train service had residents scrambling for ways to return to their residences as buses were filled to a capacity.
People reported taxis and Uber had hiked their prices as a result of the national emergency.
Tuesday’s nationwide blackout in Chile led to the shutdown of the subway system, especially in the capital Santiago, where millions of residents are served
Roller coaster passengers were stuck at Fantasilandia, an amusement park in Santiago, Chile during Tuesday afternoon’s nationwide power outage
People stand outside buildings after a large power left about 80 percent of Chile without electricity on Tuesday
Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport, the nation’s largest airport, which is located in Santiago, was operating
Escondida, the world’s largest copper mine, was without electricity, a source close to the matter told Reuters.
Antofagasta, a copper mining group, said it was operating its mines with a backup power generator.
The blackout left several passengers stuck on a roller coaster as the ride was about to descend down the tracks at Fantasilandia, an amusement park in Santiago.
The park’s management told CNN Chile that backup generators were deployed in order to restore service and remove the customers.
