Venezuela blackout sparks unrest amid political turmoil

Friday's blackout hit a sensitive spot. All 24 states of Venezuela were completely or partially deprived of electricity, stated the Minister of Communication, Freddy Nanez. The regime accused the opposition of sabotage but presented no evidence to support this claim.

Nicolas Maduro, who is in power in Venezuela and, according to the opposition, rigged recent presidential elections, frequently accuses political opponents of "attacks" on the power grid. The opposition rejects these accusations.

We have been victims, once again of electrical sabotage, stated Nanez on Friday morning, without showing any evidence for this assertion.

A few hours later, Reuters, citing local sources, reported that the power supply began to be restored in some areas of the capital, Caracas, as well as in the cities of Maracaibo, Valencia, and Puerto Ordaz.

Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said on state television that power would be restored gradually, starting with Caracas.

The blackout disrupted the operations of the state oil company PDVSA, including its largest oil tanker loading terminal in Puerto Jose, through which about 70% of Venezuela's oil exports pass, Reuters reported.

In response to the power outage, residents began stockpiling fuel and food. Alexa Rivas, a resident of the city of Barquisimeto in the western part of the country, told Reuters that five-kilometre (about 3-mile) lines of vehicles formed outside local petrol stations.

The authorities in Caracas declared Maduro the winner of the 28 July presidential election but did not present evidence in the form of voting documents. The opposition, however, published records suggesting that their candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, won by an overwhelming majority.

Following the elections, protests broke out across the country, which were brutally suppressed by the police. According to official data, at least 27 people were killed during the protests, and about 2,400 were detained.