Over eight million households in Chile were plunged into darkness on a Tuesday afternoon following a failure in an electricity transmission line, leading to a widespread power outage. The capital city, Santiago, experienced an immediate suspension of its entire underground train system, resulting in the evacuation of thousands of passengers and stations left in darkness.
Describing the chaotic scene, one passenger likened the experience to being packed “like sardines in the dark” when their train abruptly halted underground. Firefighters had to rescue individuals trapped in lifts within the darkened stations. Additionally, a courageous elderly woman trapped in a lift between floors in a Santiago building resorted to kicking the door to attract help, emphasizing her determination to survive the ordeal.
Social media videos captured metro passengers utilizing their mobile phone flashlights to navigate through darkened stations. Although the underground evacuation was completed within 90 minutes of the power failure, disruptions persisted for hours afterward. The shortage of the usual metro service, which caters to around 2.3 million passengers daily, led to overcrowded bus stops and lengthy queues, exacerbating frustrations among commuters.
The power outage’s effects rippled through the city, with disrupted traffic due to non-functioning traffic lights resulting in accidents. As public transport faced severe limitations, many individuals were forced to walk long distances in hot summer temperatures. The consequences of the blackout were also felt by businesses, including restaurants and cafes that had to close due to non-operational equipment.
At an amusement park in Santiago called Fantasilandia, several people found themselves stranded atop a rollercoaster when the outage occurred. Despite having backup generators, the park delayed restarting attractions for safety reasons. Hospitals relied on emergency generators to maintain power during the crisis.
As night fell, the government declared a state of emergency and implemented a curfew to maintain order, with soldiers and police deployed. Despite the challenges, some Chileans found solace in the unexpected blackout, sharing photos of the starry night sky on social media, highlighting the enhanced visibility of the Milky Way without light pollution.
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