Argentina/Paraguay/Uruguay: Power being restored following massive blackout June 16 /update 1

Event

Power is progressively being restored in Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay following a massive blackout on Sunday, June 16, which left tens of millions of people in the dark. Public transportation services were suspended and businesses were shuttered in affected areas on Sunday, including in major cities such as Buenos Aires. As of 17:00 (local time), power had been restored to affected areas in Paraguay, as well as to most Uruguayans, and approximately 65 percent of Argentines. An investigation into the precise cause of the outage has been launched; Edesur, an Argentine energy distributor, claimed that the power failure originated from a transmission point between the northeastern Yacyretá and Salto Grande stations. Argentine authorities are reportedly seeking to restore power across the country by Sunday night.

Lingering power outages and consequent disruptions to transportation and business are to be expected in affected areas over the coming hours.  

Advice

Individuals in affected areas are advised to monitor developments, prepare for lingering power outages and consequent disruptions, keep battery-operated devices fully charged whenever possible, and be cautious when driving or crossing streets if traffic signals are not functioning.