Cuba restores power to one-fifth of population after nationwide blackouts

Cuba's government said it had restored power to nearly one-fifth of the island's people late on Saturday after the national grid collapsed twice in 24 hours, plunging millions of people into darkness.

The unprecedented nationwide blackout is the latest blow in the nation of 10 million, already suffering from dramatic shortages of food, medicine, and fuel.

Cuba's top electricity official, Lazaro Guerra, said the grid operator was working to restore electricity. However, the process would be slow, and rushing the job could lead to more blackouts and a deterioration of service.

"I cannot assure you that we will be able to complete linking the system today, but we are estimating that there should be important progress today," Guerra said on a TV newscast earlier in the day.

The capital, Havana, was still mainly dark on Saturday evening. Strong winds and rain began to buffet much of the Caribbean island ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Oscar, which was expected to graze northeastern Cuba in the coming days.

The hurricane caps a dramatic series of events in Cuba over several days, raising tensions among the island's already exhausted residents.

Reuters