Ecuador has been plunged into a state of emergency and widespread chaos following a complete collapse of its national electrical grid, leaving millions of citizens in darkness and triggering violent unrest across the country.
Nationwide Darkness Descends
The catastrophic power failure struck on Wednesday, affecting virtually the entire nation and bringing major urban centres like Guayaquil and the capital Quito to a standstill. Traffic lights ceased functioning, creating gridlock in city streets, while businesses were forced to close their doors abruptly.
Prison System Erupts in Violence
Most alarmingly, the blackout sparked deadly violence within Ecuador's already troubled prison system. Officials confirmed that disturbances at multiple correctional facilities have resulted in the deaths of at least ten inmates, with many more injured in the ensuing chaos.
"We have reports of confrontations between prisoner groups in several institutions," stated the national prison service SNAI, highlighting how the power outage disabled security systems and enabled violent gangs to seize the opportunity.
Critical Services Struggle to Cope
The nation's healthcare system has been pushed to its limits, with hospitals across Ecuador forced to rely on emergency generators to maintain essential life-saving equipment and procedures. Health minister Francisco Viteri acknowledged the severity of the situation, confirming that medical facilities were operating on backup power while engineers worked desperately to restore the grid.
Government Response and Investigation
Ecuadorian authorities have launched an urgent investigation into the root cause of the grid failure. Public Works Minister Roberto Luque suggested the outage may have originated from a significant failure in the transmission line connecting the country's major cities, though the exact trigger remains under examination.
This incident represents one of the most severe infrastructure crises in Ecuador's recent history, raising serious questions about the resilience and maintenance of the nation's power network amid growing energy demands.
