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The Americas

The Latest: Power restored to parts of Venezuela's capital

Associated Press
Published | Updated
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    People wait for public transportation amid the country’s worst-ever power outage, in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, March 8, 2019. Much of Venezuela was still without electricity Friday amid the country's worst-ever power outage, raising tensions in a country already on edge from ongoing political turmoil.(AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

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    People ride a bus in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, March 8, 2019. President Nicolas Maduro ordered schools and all government entities closed and told businesses not to open to facilitate work crews trying to restore power. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

CARACAS, Venezuela – The Latest on the political crisis in Venezuela (all times local):

2 p.m.

Power has begun returning to some parts of Venezuela's capital.

Pro-government state broadcaster VTV reported that electricity had been restored to 16 neighborhoods around Caracas.

That account could not be immediately verified, though some Venezuelans on social media began reporting they had power. Streetlights could also be seen turning on in a Caracas neighborhood.

However, the lights in one office building flickered on and then turned off.

The South American nation is experiencing its most prolonged blackout yet after the power went out early Thursday evening.

The lack of electricity is adding to mounting tensions over the political standoff between President Nicolas Maduro and the opposition.

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1:55 p.m.

Hospitals struggled to get back-up generators running and families anxiously tried to contact loved ones amid Venezuela's worst-ever power outage Friday.

Much of the nation of 31 million people was still without electricity as the blackout stretched into a second day and patience began to wear thin.

"This has never happened before," a frustrated Orlando Roa, 54, said. She decried President Nicolas Maduro's administration for failing to maintain the electrical system and letting qualified engineers leave the country. "This is the fault of the government."

Maduro ordered schools and all government entities closed and told businesses not to open to facilitate work crews trying to restore power.