Cuba loses power again: millions have no electricity for the sixth time this year

Cuba lost electricity across the whole island on Friday. Millions of people had no power. This was at least the sixth big blackout in Cuba this year.

The power stopped a little before 2pm. The government said a problem in the power lines in the centre of the country caused it, and bad weather made it worse. In the evening, power came back in some important places, such as hospitals and water stations. In Havana, only about 5% of customers got power again.

Why the power keeps failing

Cuba's power stations are old, and the country must buy fuel from other countries to run them. Since January, the United States has stopped most oil from reaching Cuba. Cuba's ally Venezuela was sending about 35,000 barrels of oil a day, which was about half of what Cuba needed. That stopped after the United States seized Venezuela's president, Nicolás Maduro, in January. Only one Russian tanker brought fuel after that, in March. Cuba says the United States is to blame. Washington says Cuba's own government manages the system badly.

Life without electricity

Food and medicine are hard to find, and hospitals, schools and government offices all have problems. "Lately, it's becoming a habit," said Frank Lorenzo, who lives in Havana. The blackouts have also led to protests, which are rare in Cuba because they are illegal.