A large power outage struck vast swaths of Chile on Tuesday, interrupting mining operations in the world's biggest copper producer and leaving residents of Santiago without electricity. Areas from the mining-intensive north to the central and southern regions that are home to most of the population,

President Gabriel Boric said electricity was being restored, but the situation remained unstable. He blamed the nation’s power companies for not restoring power faster.

A sweeping power blackout has left most of Chile in darkness. Tuesday's blackout sent internet and phone services offline, paralyzed businesses and forced evacuations of tunnels and subways in the South American nation.