Cuba plunged into darkness: the power grid collapses for the second time in a week

Cuba's national power grid collapsed on Friday, causing another widespread blackout that plunged the entire island into darkness. This was the second nationwide blackout in a week and the fourth since the beginning of the year, exacerbating an already deep energy crisis in Cuba.

Cuban Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy announced on social media that authorities were working to restore power to the electrical grid. He described the situation as "complex," adding to the many daily difficulties faced by the Cuban people.

This latest outage comes as the country's electrical system has been suffering for several months from a chronic fuel shortage and aging infrastructure. According to Cuban authorities, a US-imposed oil blockade has contributed to paralyzing an already fragile energy production system.

Before this latest widespread power outage, several regions of Cuba, including Santiago de Cuba, were still without electricity after a previous blackout that affected the island's 10 million inhabitants on Monday. Power had been gradually restored to most of the national grid by Tuesday evening.

In Havana, the consequences of these power outages are being felt in the daily lives of residents and small business owners. Yailin Fis Garcia, 26, stood in front of her darkened café-pizzeria on Friday, holding her five-month-old baby in her arms. Her family had opened the establishment just a few weeks earlier, and this latest outage was already the second major disruption since its launch.

While authorities attempt to stabilize the power grid, repeated outages are fueling frustration among the Cuban population, who are facing an energy crisis that is affecting homes, businesses, and the island's economic activity.