Power blackout hits Chile two weeks after quake

Electricity was restored quickly, but the failure of the South American country's main power grid was another test for conservative President Sebastian Pinera, who took office last week and must rebuild after the huge earthquake.

The power cut rattled the nerves of Chileans still living with aftershocks following the deadly 8.8-magnitude quake on February 27 that triggered tsunamis and tore up roads and towns, causing an estimated $20 billion (13.3 billion pounds) to $30 billion in damage.

The lights went out at 8:50 p.m./12:50 a.m. British time, affecting millions of people and most of Chile's main cities in a stretch of territory more than 1,200 miles (2,000 km) long from north of the capital Santiago, to Puerto Montt in the south.

The quake-devastated city of Concepcion was among those plunged into darkness and some of the country's key copper mines briefly halted production.

Soon after midnight, power had returned to around 90 percent of Chile, a long, narrow country that produces copper, fruit and wine and is one of the most developed in the region.

SCARED IN THE SUBWAY

Claudia Morales, a 32-year-old nanny, was on the Santiago subway when the power cut hit, stranding commuters in the dark for around 15 minutes. Phones were down too, so they could not call anyone.

"Everyone started to say aloud maybe there had been another quake," she said. "Everyone was really panicked."

Passengers had to be evacuated from several subway cars, officials said.