Power failure plunges 70% of Venezuela into darkness

Venezuela’s main power distribution network failed Tuesday, depriving 70 percent of the country of electricity and creating traffic chaos in much of Caracas, which normally escapes such outages.

Electrical Energy Minister Jesse Chacon said on state TV that the failure was in the “backbone” that carries electricity from the Bajo Caroni region, where 60 percent of Venezuela’s power is generated.

President Nicolas Maduro said Tuesday night that 14 of 23 states lost power for much of the day.