Power cut leaves almost half of Venezuela without electricity

 
Venezuela's main power distribution network failed on Tuesday, depriving nearly half the country of electricity and knocking out traffic lights and water services in much of Caracas, which normally escapes such outages.               

Hundreds of people could be seen walking down the streets of the capital after the outage temporarily shut down the underground system, stranding some passengers in trains.                           

Venezuela's Communication Minister, Delcy Rodriguez, appeared on state television to advise that the authorities were "working to restore service as quickly as possible."             

Power that was lost at midday was restored in Caracas by nightfall, but officials said blackouts could persist in other regions.              

Opposition politicians say the government, while spending billions on programs for the poor, hasn't invested enough in the electrical grid and generating plants to keep up with growing demand.              

Despite possessing the world's largest proven oil reserves, Venezuela has been plagued in recent years by worsening power outages.              

They have, however, rarely affected metropolitan Caracas, home to more than one-sixth of the country's 28 (m) million people.  


AP