Janice R. Andrews
Chile imposed an overnight curfew Tuesday following a massive power failure that plunged millions into darkness across the country. The blackout affected approximately eight million households along a 600-mile stretch from Arica in the north to Los Lagos in the southern region.
The capital Santiago experienced significant disruption as traffic lights failed, subway service halted, and people became trapped in elevators. Commuters described chaotic scenes with cars driving against traffic and people rushing to secure alternative transportation in what some called “lawless” conditions.
President Gabriel Boric expressed outrage at power companies for both the outage and the slow restoration efforts. Officials attributed the blackout to a transmission system failure. By midnight, power had been restored to 90% of residential customers, with complete restoration anticipated by morning.
Authorities implemented a curfew from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. in affected regions, with military and police forces deployed to maintain order and manage traffic. Schools in impacted areas will remain closed Wednesday, affecting approximately 300,000 students.
Essential services including emergency facilities, hospitals and airports maintained operations using backup power systems. Some regions also experienced water supply interruptions.
The incident has intensified public frustration in Chile, one of Latin America’s most prosperous nations but one grappling with significant economic inequality concerns, raising questions about infrastructure reliability and government oversight.
