Venezuela's government faced mounting pressure as a widespread electricity blackout, blamed on US sabotage by President Nicolas Maduro, plunged much of the country into darkness for over 24 hours. The outage, which began Thursday at 4:50 pm (2050 GMT), disrupted critical infrastructure, including hospitals, transportation, and communication networks, exacerbating tensions in the nation's ongoing political crisis.
Maduro's administration declared a state of emergency, closing government offices and schools to prioritize power restoration. While partial electricity was restored to parts of Caracas and Miranda state by Friday afternoon, outages persisted, leaving hospitals reliant on generators and forcing patients to be evacuated in the dark. At the University Hospital in Caracas, a patient died after her respirator failed, while staff at a children's hospital described 'total madness' during the blackout.
Citizens took to the streets in protest, banging pots and gathering at gas stations to fuel generators. The blackout also paralyzed the Simon Bolivar international airport and disrupted water supplies for thousands. Maduro's communications minister announced plans to file a complaint with the UN Commission on Human Rights, accusing the US of orchestrating the crisis. However, US national security advisor John Bolton attributed the outage to years of Maduro's mismanagement, citing corruption and neglect.
Opposition leader Juan Guaido called for renewed protests, framing the blackout as evidence of Maduro's failing governance. The state-run power company, Corpoelec, alleged sabotage at the Guri hydroelectric plant, though it provided no details. The crisis deepened Venezuela's humanitarian emergency, with hospitals struggling to provide care and families facing dire conditions amid the prolonged darkness.
