A massive power outage overnight knocked out power to almost all of Chile's capital, Santiago, and disrupted power to major copper mines in the north of the country, disrupting global metals markets, Reuters reported, BTA reported.
Shortly after the power outage, the South American country's government declared a state of emergency and imposed a curfew from 10 p.m. last night to 6 a.m. this morning local time (03:00 - 11:00 Bulgarian time) from the northern region of Arica and Parinacota to Los Lagos in the south.
The massive power outage was caused by a fault in a transmission line in northern Chile, the country's Interior Minister Carolina Toa said.
It was the worst power outage in the capital Santiago in years, Reuters reported. Chile's national energy distribution company later said about a quarter of the power outage had been restored, and power was expected to be fully restored by morning, Reuters reported.