Power Restored After Nationwide Blackout in Venezuela

Venezuela experienced a widespread blackout affecting all 24 states, attributed by the government to sabotage, an accusation the opposition denies. Power began to be restored in parts of the capital, Caracas, and other cities after a 10-hour outage, which officials stated was the most significant since 2019. President Nicolás Maduro condemned the blackout as a 'criminal attack' and vowed to protect the citizens from what he termed 'fascist' opposition efforts. Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello confirmed that electricity restoration would proceed gradually with security measures in place. The outage impacted operations at the state oil company PDVSA, disrupting key facilities and affecting oil export capabilities. Residents, anxious from past experiences with prolonged blackouts, began stocking up on essentials in anticipation of potential future outages.