Venezuela’s government blames ‘electromagnetic attack’

Venezuela has been hit by another massive power cut, with the capital Caracas among the areas affected. It is believed at least 18 of the country’s 23 states have lost power.

It was the first blackout to include the capital, Caracas, since March, when the government blamed the opposition and United States for a series of power outages that left millions of people without running water and telecommunications.

Information Minister Jorge Rodrigues claimed the power cut was caused by an “electromagnetic attack” and officials were working to restore power.

The blackouts exacerbated an economic crisis that has halved the size of the economy.

In March Venezuela was hit by a series of power cuts, including one that affected all 23 states and lasted a week, leading to shortages and riots. Another outage in April plunged large swathes of the country into darkness; however, that lasted hours rather than days.

More than half of Venezuela’s 23 states lost power on Monday, according to Reuters witnesses and reports on social media, a blackout the government blamed on an “electromagnetic attack.”

Via CNBC / BBC