Venezuela Plunged into Darkness Amid Election Dispute

Venezuela's capital Caracas and much of the country faced a blackout blamed on opposition sabotage by President Maduro, without evidence. Power has started returning to certain cities. The blackout disrupted key oil operations and public services. The ongoing power struggle follows a contested presidential election result, increasing political tensions.

Venezuela's capital Caracas and much of the country experienced a severe blackout on Friday, which the government attributed to sabotage by the opposition, though no evidence was provided to substantiate the claim.

President Nicolas Maduro, embroiled in a fierce political dispute following the July 28 presidential election, frequently blames the opposition for attacks on the power grid, accusations that the opposition has consistently denied. Freddy Nanez, the Minister of Communication and Information, announced that all 24 states endured total or partial power loss.

By Friday afternoon, power had returned to parts of major cities, including Caracas, according to Reuters witnesses. The interior minister announced that power would gradually be restored nationwide. Some residents, fearing prolonged outages, began stockpiling gasoline and essential supplies, recalling the 2019 blackouts.

(With inputs from agencies.)