Power failure plunges western Cuba into darkness

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A power outage caused by a transmission failure left a significant part of Cuba, including the capital, in the dark on late Sunday.

The state-run Electric Union company said the blackout affected 10 out of 15 Cuban provinces, including Pinar del Rio, Artemisa, Havana and Cienfuegos, and was caused by a malfunction on high-voltage power lines somewhere between the provinces of Ciego de Avila and Santa Clara.

The cause of the malfunction is being investigated, the company said.

The situation in the capital remained calm, but many people left their homes to spend the night in the open because they could not use their ventilators, and the heat inside quickly became unbearable.

After three hours, electricity began to return to some of the areas of Havana, but others remained in the dark.

In Cienfuegos, the blackout lasted about an hour, local residents said.