Total Blackout Hits Cuba Amid Energy Crisis

A nationwide blackout plunged Cuba into darkness on Wednesday, marking the second island-wide outage this year and highlighting the persistent energy crisis. Blame has been placed on ageing infrastructure and dwindling fuel supplies at power plants.

The Ministry of Energy and Mines acknowledged that the blackout could be tied to a malfunction at a major thermoelectric plant. Authorities quickly began crafting a strategy to ensure essential services were powered, while Prime Minister Manuel Marrero asked for public trust and promised a gradual restoration of electricity.

This blackout, alongside others in recent months, underscores Cuba's economic and energy challenges, exacerbated by US sanctions that limit access to vital resources. In response, many have turned to alternative energy solutions like solar panels to weather the outages.

(With inputs from agencies.)