The power goes out in Cuba, leaving hospitals dark and highways deserted

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said the country was running on about 40% of the fuel it needs. Women are giving birth in dark hospitals with no power.

HAVANA — Cuba was plunged into darkness by an islandwide electricity blackout that affected its 11 million habitants on Monday, hours after the country announced it would allow foreign investment for the first time.

People spilled onto the streets of Havana after the aging electrical grid collapsed, the result of Cuba’s ongoing energy crisis.

Havana resident Isabel Garcia showed NBC News around her home, which she lights using a bicycle lamp and cellphones. She buys food every day to avoid letting it spoil.

“It’s very hard,” she said. “What Cubans are going through is very hard.”

It's been three months since any oil shipment has reached the country and the highways are empty. Cuba blames the United States for the fuel shortage — oil tankers are banned from entering Cuban waters by a U.S. blockade.