Last night, a massive blackout hit Paraguay and many states in Brazil, including the cities of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, affecting millions of people.
Brazil lost 17,000 megawatts of power when the largest hydroelectric dam in the world, Itaipu, suddenly lost power. There were mixed reports about which states were affected; the first reported were the states of Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso do Sul, Goias, Espirito Santo, and the country’s capital; later reports included Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul, Bahia, Pernambuco, Mato Grosso and Parana.
The blackout began shortly after 10PM (Rio de Janeiro time), cutting off subway service in Rio and Sao Paulo and making it difficult for drivers to navigate on the suddenly pitch-black streets. The blackout caused problems for public transportation and airports filled with stranded passengers.
It is not yet clear what caused the blackout, though several possibilities included a computer problem or a large storm in the area of the dam.
As of 1AM, power was being restored to several parts of Rio de Janeiro, one of the worst hit states in the blackout. However, Globo.com, the website for the country’s largest news network, was inaccessible.
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