Over 70 % of the power supply in Cuba has been restored after several days of the collapse of the power transmission network on the island caused by the heavy damage left by the hurricane "Oscar", the government announced yesterday, quoted by DPA, quoted by BTA.
The number of victims of the storm reached 7 people, including a five-year-old child. Authorities are still assessing the extent of the damage.
Power has not yet been fully restored in the eastern province of Guantanamo, which remains among the hardest hit by flooding and destruction caused by the storm.
Authorities are trying to reach the most affected areas in the country, which is experiencing one of the worst economic crises since Fidel Castro's revolution in 1959.
Cuba's total blackout on Friday was the result of a breakdown in the country's aging power grid. Several attempts to restore power failed at first.
Aging infrastructure, the condition of which is due in part to the more than 60-year US trade embargo, results in frequent shutdowns of power plants in Cuba. This necessitates regular emergency repairs and power outages.
Cuban economist Pedro Monreal has slammed the government's priority spending on social network X, saying too much money is being poured into tourism while vital infrastructure remains neglected despite a drop in visitor numbers.
Power outages left many households without water, as water supply often depends on electric pumps. Many families lost perishable food as their refrigerators were shut down.
Growing dissatisfaction with deteriorating living conditions has led to small protests in various parts of the country in recent days. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel downplayed the demonstrations, calling them “the actions of drunken people who disturb the peace”.