Major blackout across parts of Argentina and Uruguay following power outage
Argentina's main energy company said Sunday it was "slowly beginning to restore" electricity after a massive power failure left large swathes of the South American country and neighbouring Uruguay in the dark.
It was unclear how many people had been affected by the blackout, but the nations have a combined population of more than 45 million.
Edesur said on Twitter that power had been returned to 34,000 customers as of Sunday morning.
A major power outage has left parts of Argentina and neighbouring Uruguay in the dark Getty
A sign, which usually displays the price of various types of gas electronically, stands without power during a blackout, in Buenos Aires. AP
"The return of electricity generation to the interconnected system of the Federal Capital and Greater Buenos Aires has begun," it said.
It noted the process would take several hours.
Uruguayan energy company UTE tweeted that the system was being reinstated from scratch.
UTE Energy say they are working to get power back on asap across the region Twitter
"There are already coastal cities with service and work continues toward general restoration," it said.
It said the blackout was due to a "flaw in the Argentine network" which left the entire country and several regions of Uruguay without electricity.
The country said it isn’t ruling out a cyberattack, although it isn’t the primary hypothesis
Argentina's energy secretary said that the blackout occurred around 7 a.m. local time, when a key interconnection system collapsed. It said the causes "are being investigated and are not yet determined."
Hallways of Buenos Aires's subway are lit only by emergency lights. AP
A man stands inside a store without power. AP
The blackout affected the entire Argentine capital of Buenos Aires, in addition to provinces in the north and south Getty
The blackout affected the entire Argentine capital of Buenos Aires, in addition to provinces in the north and south.
Since taking office, Argentina's President Mauricio Macri has said that gradual austerity measures were needed to revive the country's struggling economy. He has cut red tape and tried to reduce the government's budget deficit by ordering job cuts and cutting utility subsidies.
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