Electricity began to return to parts of Venezuela on Friday afternoon (30), after the capital Caracas and much of the country were hit by a blackout that the government attributed — without presenting evidence — to sabotage by the opposition.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is locked in a battle with the opposition over the outcome of the July 28 presidential election, accusing what he calls “attacks” on the power grid, something the opposition has consistently denied.
All 24 states in the country reported partial or total loss of electricity supply, Freddy Nañez, Minister of Communication and Information, told state television on Friday morning (30).
“We have once again been victims of electrical sabotage,” he said. He gave no evidence that there had been a deliberate attack.
By 1 p.m. local time, power had been restored to parts of the cities of Maracaibo, Valencia, Puerto Ordaz and Caracas, according to Reuters witnesses.
Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello told state television that electricity would return gradually, starting in the capital: “It will start to come back little by little throughout the country.”
Venezuela last suffered nationwide blackouts in 2019, with some lasting up to three days. Authorities have also attributed those power outages to attacks on the grid by saboteurs and opponents of the Maduro government.
An opposition spokesman was not immediately available for comment, but observers have long blamed deteriorating infrastructure for the blackouts.
The blackout affected important operations of state oil company PDVSA, including the country’s largest oil terminal, called José, where loading and unloading of vessels was halted during the episode, according to sources and a document seen by Reuters.
Both the government and the opposition say they won last month’s election, with the electoral authority and the Supreme Court backing Maduro. Authorities have not released the election results despite calls from the international community to do so.
This content was originally published in After new blackout, electricity begins to return in Venezuela on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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