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Massive Power Outage Disrupts Millions in Santiago, Chile
Residents in the capital dealt with widespread outages that halted routines in ways seen in other major cities facing similar infrastructure strains.
How we reported this
Santiago faced an almost nationwide power cut on 26 February 2025 that left millions of people dealing with sudden stops in elevators, traffic systems and household appliances.
The outage hit at a time when the city was still adjusting after earlier constitutional debates and ongoing pension talks under the Gabriel Boric administration. Copper mining royalties and immigration pressures from Venezuela and Haiti already strained housing and services, making any widespread service failure more noticeable to daily commuters and families.
Daily routines stopped across central districts
People described being trapped in dark elevators for extended periods, with one account noting conditions felt like being packed in tightly without light or movement. Local transport slowed as signals failed, and shops closed early when registers and refrigeration units went offline. These details emerged from direct reports filed from the capital that day.
Similar service losses have occurred in other large capitals that rely on single transmission corridors, yet Santiago's recovery focused on quick manual resets at key substations rather than waiting for remote commands that also lost power.
Evidence from the February event and next steps
The BBC topic page on Chile recorded that millions had routines disrupted by the near-countrywide blackout. Earlier coverage on the same site noted more than 7,000 hectares burned in central and southern regions during a 2022 heatwave, showing repeated exposure to large-scale interruptions.
City crews prioritised restoring power to hospitals and water pumps first, a sequence used in other grid-stressed urban centres when full automation is unavailable. Residents stocked battery lights and checked generator fuel in advance of any announced maintenance windows.
Authorities have since asked households to report recurring elevator or signal faults through the same municipal channels used after the 2025 cut. This step-by-step logging helps crews target repairs before another widespread failure occurs.