April 05, 2019 - 5:51 PM
MEXICO CITY - A massive blackout struck across the Yucatan Peninsula on Friday, affecting a three-state region that is home to several million people, well-travelled Mayan ruins and popular beach resorts such as Cancun and Tulum.
Quintana Roo state Police Chief Alberto Capella said in the afternoon via Twitter that nearly the entire state was affected and that the outage apparently extended into the peninsula's other two states.
Two hours later he tweeted that power had been restored in most municipalities in Quintana Roo.
The Federal Electricity Commission reported that the failure was caused by a brushfire "unrelated to the technical operations" of the commission.
It posted video online of hard-hatted workers walking among scorched, smoking terrain beneath high-voltage transmission lines and said that "we are working to re-establish service to the affected users."
Quintana Roo's Public Safety Department said authorities were trying to avoid traffic congestion.
News from © The Associated Press, 2019