BBC in Cuba as island plunged into darkness
More than 10 million people are enduring power cuts after Cuba's national electrical grid collapsed again.
Coverage by Political Leaning
See how different sides of the spectrum reported this story
Notable Quotes
"the US military has sunk 'an Iranian warship' in the Indian Ocean with a torpedo."
— Pete Hegseth , Executive
"the island was 'ready to fall'."
— Donald Trump , Politician
"Taking Cuba in some form … whether I free it, take it, I think I can do anything I want with it, if you want to know the truth."
— Donald Trump , Politician
"Yo entiendo el malestar que estos problemas generan."
— Miguel Díaz-Canel , Politician
"Es extremadamente complejo."
— Lázaro Guerra , Other
"Bloquear un país tiene consecuencias sinceras y muy serias."
— Araíz Consuegra Otero , Executive
Key People
Araíz Consuegra Otero is the Director of the Juan Manuel Márquez Pediatric Hospital.
Academy Award winning US actor.
Former president of the United States known for his aggressive economic policies.
Jeremy is an Iraq veteran.
BBC reporter discussing humanitarian issues.
Lázaro Guerra is the electricity director at the Ministry of Energy and Mines in Cuba.
Lynn is a Gold Star mother whose son died in the Iraq War.
U.S. Secretary of State.
Cuban President and leader of the Communist Party.
The President of Venezuela, involved in a long-standing political crisis.
Pete Hegseth is the United States Secretary of Defense.
BBC's Analysis Editor.
BBC reporter covering events in Cuba.
Tags
All Coverage
More than 10 million people are enduring power cuts after Cuba's national electrical grid collapsed again.
Cuba experienced a nationwide power outage on March 21, 2026, due to an unexpected failure at the Nuevitas thermoelectric plant in Camagüey province, marking the third blackout this month.
In March 2026, the Cuban government denied a request from the U.S. Embassy in Havana to import diesel fuel for its generators, exacerbating tensions amid a severe energy crisis in Cuba.
Cuba ha enfrentado su segundo apagón nacional en menos de una semana, lo que representa el séptimo colapso total del Sistema Eléctrico Nacional (SEN) en el último año y medio.
Cuba has started restoring electricity after its third nationwide blackout in March 2026, caused by an unexpected shutdown at the Nuevitas thermoelectric plant. As of Sunday, only 72,000 customers in Havana, including five hospitals, had regained power. The crisis is attributed to the country's deteriorating energy infrastructure and lack of fuel, worsened by U.S. sanctions and the cessation of oil shipments from Venezuela following the ousting of Nicolás Maduro.
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