Venezuela hit by nationwide power outages

Most of Venezuela woke up to a power outage, with the authorities claiming saboteurs had targeted the national electricity network.

According to Report, which cites Al Jazeera, on Friday, Communications Minister Freddy Nanez said on state channel VTV that the blackout hit at approximately 4:40am (08:40 GMT) with “nearly all the national territory” – including the capital Caracas – reporting “total or partial loss” of electricity supply.

“We have been victims, once again of electrical sabotage,” said Nanez, without giving further details, adding that the authorities were working to fully restore service.

“The entire national government has been activated to overcome this new aggression,” he said.

Power cuts are not uncommon in Venezuela, although they are usually more localised.

During a period of political unrest in 2019, Venezuela suffered from regular power outages that the government almost always blamed on saboteurs and opponents of President Nicolas Maduro’s government.

However, energy experts said the outages were the result of brush fires damaging transmission lines and poor maintenance of the country’s hydroelectric infrastructure.