Cuba is completely without power

A complete power outage occurred in Cuba on October 18, reports the newspaper Diario de Cuba.

The Antonio Guiteras power plant in Matanzas, which is considered one of the main elements of Cuba's electricity supply system, has failed. The station shutdown occurred around 11:00 local time (18:00 Moscow time), the Ministry of Energy and Mining reported. Energy workers are working to restore power supply.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said that "the country's leadership is devoting absolute attention and solution to this very sensitive energy emergency for the nation."

About 10 million people were without electricity, writes Reuters. In Cuba, all educational institutions were closed until October 20. The authorities also banned entertainment and cultural events, including closing nightclubs. On October 18, only employees of state food industry and healthcare enterprises should go to work.

The power outage, as noted by Diario de Cuba, has exacerbated the country's energy crisis - in the last two weeks, power has been continuously cut off in Cuba for several hours a day. On October 11, the power supply was stopped for 24 hours.

The complete blackout occurred hours after Prime Minister Manuel Marrero announced that the energy situation was improving.