March 15, 2010
MSNBC news services

SANTIAGO, Chile - A major blackout left most of Chile without power for hours on Sunday, two weeks after a massive earthquake that killed hundreds and weakened infrastructure.

Photo: People light a bonfire in a street during a blackout in Santiago, March 14, 2010. A major blackout left most of Chile without power for hours on Sunday, two weeks after a massive earthquake that killed hundreds and weakened infrastructure. (Ivan Alvarado / Reuters)

The failure of the South American country's main power grid was another test for conservative President Sebastian Pinera, who took office last week and must rebuild after the huge February 27 earthquake.

Officials blamed a transformer failure that caused a ripple effect and ultimately a total collapse of the Central Interconnected System grid.

The power cut rattled the nerves of Chileans still living with aftershocks following the deadly 8.8-magnitude quake that triggered tsunamis and tore up roads and towns, killed at least 497 people and caused an estimated $30 billion worth in damage.

The quake-devastated city of Concepcion was among those plunged into darkness and some of the country's key copper mines briefly halted production.

An hour after the blackout began, lights began to come back on in some cities — including sporadically in greater Santiago, which is home to 7 million people. Officials there initially reported having just 8 percent of the supply needed to meet demand for a normal Sunday evening.

Soon after midnight, power had returned to around 90 percent of Chile, a long, narrow country that produces copper, fruit and wine and is one of the most developed in the region.

'Really panicked'

Claudia Morales, a 32-year-old nanny, was on the Santiago subway when the power cut hit, stranding commuters in the dark for around 15 minutes. Phones were down too, so they could not call anyone.

"Everyone started to say aloud maybe there had been another quake," she said. "Everyone was really panicked."

Passengers had to be evacuated from several subway cars, officials said.

Interior Minister Rodrigo Hinzpeter said the blackout was due to a problem with a 500-kilowatt transformer.

"Fortunately the reason for the failure has been identified," he said.

Hinzpeter said that while the power outage was not directly related to the big earthquake last month — which knocked out power at the time — there would be an investigation to see whether there was an indirect cause.

Energy Minister Ricardo Rainieri said the quake left Chile's power grid fragile, and urged ordinary Chileans to limit energy consumption.

Some Chileans took the power outage in stride.

"To be honest, I'm not scared," said 24-year-old mechanic Francisco Silva. "They say it was a power cut because the earthquake left the electricity lines weakened."

"I am calm, because I think the government can solve the problems," he added. "We have no option but to trust in it."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35866379/ns/world_news-chile_earthquake/