Santiago : The government of the Republic of Chile announced a widespread power outage that affected large parts of the country, from the mining-rich northern regions to central and southern Chile, including the capital Santiago, home to the majority of the population.
Escondida, the world’s largest copper mine, was currently without electricity. Mining company Antofagasta confirmed that it was using backup power generators to keep its mines running.
Chile’s National Disaster Prevention and Response Service (SENAPRED) stated that the outage extended from the northern Arica and Parinacota region to the southern Los Lagos region. No emergency situations or injuries were reported.
Streetlights in Santiago were completely out, and the city’s metro system, relied upon by millions for daily transport, was brought to a halt.
Authorities confirmed that power transmission companies had launched an investigation into the cause of the outage and were working to restore electricity as quickly as possible.
