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Blackouts in Venezuela caused by "electromagnetic attack" — minister

Power blackouts were reported on Monday evening in 15 Venezuelan regions and Caracas

© EPA-EFE/MIGUEL GUTIERREZ

CARACAS, July 23. /TASS/. Blackouts in several Venezuelan regions and parts of Caracas were caused by "an electromagnetic attack," Venezuelan Minister of Communications and Information Jorge Rodriguez said on Monday.

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Blackouts reported in 15 Venezuelan regions and Caracas — media

"The first results of the investigation showed that there was an electromagnetic attack targeted at power generation systems," Rodriguez said adding that the authorities are working on restoring power.

The Venezuelan opposition said that blackouts resulted from the power system's overload due to its inadequate servicing. Opposition leader Juan Guaido called on people to take to the streets on Tuesday. "The failure is obvious. They [the authorities] destroyed the power system and do not have solutions for resolving the situation. Tomorrow we should gather on the streets because Venezuelans do not want to get used to the disaster," Guaido wrote on his official Twitter account.

Power blackouts were reported on Monday evening in 15 Venezuelan regions and Caracas. Three out of five subway lines in Caracas have also temporarily suspended operations.

In March blackouts were reported across Venezuela, affecting Caracas and most other regions in the country. According to the government, blackouts were caused by a sabotage attack at the Simon Bolivar hydroelectric power station. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said that "US imperialism" was to blame for the attack, but the US Department of State refuted the accusations.

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