Key facts
- Cuba experienced an island-wide blackout on Monday.
- The blackout was caused by dwindling fuel reserves and an aging electrical grid.
- This is the third nationwide blackout in Cuba since January.
- The U.S. oil blockade is cited as a factor exacerbating the energy crisis.
Cuba struggled on Tuesday to restore power after its national grid collapsed on Monday, leaving millions without electricity across the Caribbean island nation. Authorities have yet to fully explain the cause of the blackout, the third to affect the country this year, which left the population in the dark overnight. The country's grid operator UNE reported early Tuesday that central Cuba had been reconnected, but eastern and western parts of the island remained offline. About one-third of the capital Havana had seen power restored, though electricity was spotty elsewhere. The latest grid collapse occurs as the United States has increased pressure on Cuba, cutting off fuel supply and applying sanctions in a bid to force a change in the government. Cuba and the United Nations have called these measures illegal and a violation of human rights.