Men sit on the trunk of a car during a blackout in Havana, Cuba, on Tuesday. RAMON ESPINOSA/AP
HAVANA — Cuba has restored its power grid, authorities said on Wednesday, after the third total blackout in less than 10 days as the island faces an energy crisis amid a US oil blockade.
The island was already struggling to keep the lights on before US President Donald Trump cut off its oil supplies in January, depleting the dwindling supply of fuel for its power plants.
The national power grid went offline at about 11:05 am on Tuesday, according to the state-run Cuban Electric Union electricity company, or UNE, leaving the country's 9.6 million inhabitants without power.
The island's electrical system was fully functioning at 7:00 am on Wednesday, the UNE reported.
