Isn't this the system just "nationalized" by Chavez?
Widespread power outages in Venezuela
NEW: 60 percent of power restored by 7 p.m. local time, official says
Caracas mayor says explosion at power station is being investigated
(CNN) -- Power returned slowly to Venezuela on Tuesday night, a few hours after widespread outages blacked out nearly half the country, trapping people in elevators, stalling subways, filling streets with pedestrians and forcing hospitals to switch to emergency generators.
The streets of Caracas, Venezuela, are thronged with people during Tuesday's power outage.
"We understand that at 1600 hours -- that is to say at 4 p.m. (4:30 p.m. ET) -- there was a blackout on a national level that was produced by an explosion, which is being investigated" in the Guri hydroelectric power station, Caracas Mayor Juan Barreto said.
"That produced a blackout in 16 states of the country, particularly those of the central north coastal area."
The city's emergency plan kicked in, and about 400 firefighters in training had reported for duty to help, he said. City firefighters had gone to 37 buildings in the capital to free people from elevators.
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