Millions in Cuba have been left without power after the national electric grid collapsed.
This is the latest in a series of widespread power outages to hit the country, whose chronic fuel shortages have been exacerbated by a recent US blockade on oil shipments to the island.
UNE, Cuba’s grid operator, says it is gradually restoring electricity in provinces and cities around the country, according to BBC News.
Cuba, an island of around 10 million, has battled widespread blackouts in recent years – a persistent source of public discontent that has triggered rare protests.
The country relies heavily on imported fuel, and Venezuela was believed to have sent around 35,000 barrels of oil a day, accounting for about half of the island’s oil needs.
But these shipments have been halted since the US captured Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro in January.
Since then, the US has ramped up pressure on Cuba by seizing several oil shipments bound for the island.
U.S. President Donald Trump has also threatened tariffs on any country that supplies oil to Cuba.
No oil shipments have arrived in Cuba in the last three months, according to Cuban president Miguel Díaz-Canel.
According to The Guardian, Cuba’s already ageing and obsolete power generation system has been crippled further by the oil shortages, leaving approximately 10 million people without electricity and exposing the fragility of its infrastructure.
Reports indicate that Cuba has received only two small vessels carrying oil imports this year, one from Mexico and another from Jamaica, while no large fuel shipments have reached major ports like Matanzas or Moa.
Venezuela, once Cuba’s main supplier, has sent no fuel to the island this year, worsening the crisis.
Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday that he believed he would have the “honour of taking Cuba”.
“Whether I free it, take it, I could do anything I want with it, you want to know the truth. They’re a very weakened nation right now.”
He previously threatened a “friendly takeover” of the country, a long-time foe of the US since communist leader Fidel Castro overthrew a US-backed government in 1959.
Last week, President Díaz-Canel confirmed his government was in the initial stages of talks with the Trump administration to resolve differences, as tensions continue to rise.