The scale of the blackout seemed to have been caught by the authorities. The government has declared a state of emergency with a forced night curfew that lasts until 6am on Wednesday, the Associated Press reported.
“Our initial concern and the reason for this announcement is to ensure the safety of people,” Interior Minister Carolina Toha said by announcing exceptional measures. The ministry deployed thousands of soldiers across the country to maintain order and enforce curfews.
The mobile phone service flashed offline. The world’s largest copper mine suspension work. People complained of a lack of water as the electric pump stopped working. Emergency generators helped hospitals and government agencies continue to operate.
But the lights – and on hot summer nights in the Southern Hemisphere, air conditioners and fans keep people cool, starting to return to the spurt seven hours after the electrical failure first hit. Cheers roar in the city.
Around 11pm, electricity was restored to about half of households affected by 8 million, President Gabriel Borick said.
SD/