BUENOS AIRES — A widespread power failure early Sunday morning left at least two South American countries — Argentina and Uruguay — entirely without electricity, according to an energy company, while social media users said that parts of Brazil, Paraguay and Chile had also been affected.
The energy company, Edesur of Argentina, announced on Twitter about 7:50 a.m. that a “massive failure in the electrical interconnection system left all of Argentina and Uruguay without power.”
Social media users said the blackout had spread to Paraguay and southern Brazil.
An official in the Argentine Energy Ministry said the extent of the problem was unknown. The cause of the failure was not immediately clear.
Edesur has more than 2.5 million customers, according to its company profile.
In 2009, a huge power failure in Brazil involving the world’s largest operating hydroelectric plant caused widespread blackouts that affected tens of millions of people and exposed the vulnerability of the country’s electricity infrastructure.
That failure occurred at the Itaipú plant, which straddles the border between Brazil and Paraguay along the Paraná River and is a critical source of power for both nations.
Source : Nytimes
