Cuba hit by widespread blackout; Ecuador expels Havana’s ambassador, staff

Cuba’s Ambassador to Ecuador Basilio Gutierrez and his diplomatic staff were given 48 hours to leave Quito.

A power outage has struck most of Cuba, including the capital Havana, the state electric utility said, as the administration of United States President Donald Trump continues its attempts to cripple the Caribbean nation by curtailing vital oil shipments.

News of the widespread power outage on Wednesday emerged as the country’s diplomatic relations with Latin American neighbour Ecuador plummeted after the expulsion of Havana’s top envoy and diplomatic staff from the Ecuadorian capital Quito was announced.

Cuban state media outlet Cubadebate said the blackout was caused by a fault at the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant, located about 100km (62 miles) east of Havana, which cut electricity from Pinar del Rio in the far west of the country to the eastern Las Tunas province.

In all, two-thirds of the country, including Havana, were left without power, according to the national electric company UNE, which said it was working to restore services.

In Havana, the outage briefly took Cuban state TV off the air. Its afternoon national news broadcast started more than half an hour after its scheduled airtime, with a presenter explaining the delay was due to the blackout.