Tag Archives: Equador

17 million in the dark after Ecuador hit by nationwide blackout

Blackout in Ecuador

Important Takeaways:

  • The blackout — which affected hospitals, homes, and a major subway system — was caused by maintenance and transmission issues in the country’s electrical system, authorities said.
  • “The outages we had today were due to a lack of investment in maintenance, new electrical transmission, and the protection of the electrical transmission infrastructure,” Public Infrastructure Minister Roberto Luque told a news conference on Wednesday.
  • As of Wednesday night, energy had been restored in 95% of the country, according to the government.
  • Ecuador has been struggling with an energy crisis for years. The latest saw Ecuadorean President Daniel Noboa declare an energy emergency in April and order eight-hour nationwide power cuts amid a drought that affected power generation.
  • Guayaquil residents faced the outage amid 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 Celsius) heat. “It’s unbearable, it’s so hot and humid, and we can’t use an air conditioner or a ventilator,” one resident told CNN.
  • “On top of this, the water is not running,” the resident added.

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Ecuadorian presidential candidate fatally shot at political rally

Equador-Presidentil-Candidate-assassinated

Important Takeaways:

  • Anti-corruption presidential candidate is assassinated in Ecuador as country reels from violence
  • An Ecuadorian presidential candidate who recently pledged to root out corruption and lock up the country’s “thieves” was fatally shot at a political rally in the capital as the South American country reels from drug-related crime and violence.
  • Read the original article by clicking here.
  • Fernando Villavicencio, 59, who was known for speaking up against cartels, was assassinated Wednesday, less than two weeks before a special presidential election.
  • The candidate had received at least three death threats before the shooting and reported them to authorities, resulting in one detention.
  • “Politics cannot lead to the death of any member of society.”
  • Lasso suggested the slaying could be linked to organized crime and insisted on proceeding with the election scheduled for Aug. 20. He declared three days of national mourning and a state of emergency that involves deploying additional military personnel throughout the country.

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