Chile recovers power in 90% of its homes after massive blackout

Chile recovered electricity in 90% of the country's homes during the early hours of Wednesday morning after being affected by a massive blackout in most of its territory, including the capital Santiago, due to an alleged failure of the electrical system.

"At 12 a.m. this Wednesday, Feb. 26, the equivalent of 90% of the consumption" of homes has been recovered, reported the National Electric Coordinator.

In the middle of the summer in the southern hemisphere, with temperatures reaching highs above 85 F, 95% of the 20 million Chileans suffered the unusual service interruption this afternoon that plunged the country into chaos, bewilderment and also intense heat.

The emergency forced the government to decree a curfew from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. between the region of Arica and Parinacota (north) and the region of Los Lagos (south).

In a message to the nation, Chilean President Gabriel Boric said he decided to activate a "state of emergency due to catastrophe" to guarantee security in the north and south of Chile.

That vast area was without power during the afternoon at approximately 3:15 p.m. local time.

In Santiago, the outage forced the evacuation of the subway, forcing tens of thousands of people to walk for hours to return to their homes in intense heat.

"Businesses were closing as I was biking back from my office, especially restaurants. At the bank where I work, all operations had to stop," Jonathan Macalupu, 25, told AFP.

Classes for some 300,000 students were also suspended for the day.

Shock and suspended festival

Panic gripped millions of Chileans during the blackout. For example, a photographer from the AFP agency managed to capture a complex moment, when an elderly woman, with her hand over her mouth holding back tears, was trapped in a Santiago elevator while a fireman rushed to rescue her.

Videos were also seen on social media with people trapped on rides at amusement parks.

Also, traffic became absolute chaos in Santiago, which was severely affected after the suspension of service on the subway, which transports around 2.3 million users daily.

"They let us leave at work because of the power cut, but now I don't know how to get home because all the buses are full," María Angélica Román, 45, who works in a collection office, told AFP.

As the hours passed, cell phone communications and internet connection became more difficult, and the power outage disrupted the routine of the capital's 7 million inhabitants.

The Viña del Mar International Festival had to cancel Tuesday's show which included performances by Colombians Morat and Sebastián Yatra.

"Tonight's shows will have to be rescheduled for Saturday, March 1, 2025," the organization said in a statement.

Likewise, in Valparaiso, a city 75 miles from Santiago, witnesses reported the closures of businesses and chaos on the roads.

"There are Carabineros [national law enforcement officers] managing traffic because there are a lot of drivers on streets that are usually not very busy. All the shops are closing," said Anadriel Hernandez, a 20-year-old student, in a telephone conversation with AFP.

This is the worst blackout recorded in Chile since 2010, when a large part of the population was without service also due to a power outage in the southern Biobío region.