**Extreme Power Outage Hits Chile, Stranding Thousands in Santiago**

The outage disrupted transport, trapped individuals in lifts, and forced a state of emergency to be declared.

Chile faced a widespread power outage on Tuesday, affecting over eight million households, primarily due to a failure in an electricity transmission line. The capital, Santiago, witnessed immediate ramifications with the complete suspension of its underground train system, causing massive disruptions for commuters.

One passenger, trapped in the dark underground, articulated the experience as being "like sardines in the dark." Firefighters were called to rescue several individuals who found themselves stuck in lifts when the power failed, including a 70-year-old woman who managed to alert others by kicking the door of her restrained lift.

As the situation escalated, social media was flooded with videos of metro passengers navigating darkened stations using the flashlights from their mobile phones. Metro de Santiago confirmed that 90 minutes were required for a complete evacuation, but the residual effects of the outage lasted much longer. Additional buses were deployed, but this effort could not meet the demands of the thousands left stranded, as the metro typically caters to around 2.3 million users each day.

Frustrated crowds gathered at bus stops, many angered as full buses drove past, exacerbating the situation for those caught in the chaos. A local shopkeeper noted that businesses began closing early due to the blackout, leading to an early exodus of workers as most workplaces halted operations.

Traffic in Santiago suffered further complications from non-operational traffic lights, resulting in at least one reported car accident. With gridlock increasing and temperatures soaring to around 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit), many pedestrians opted to walk home after their public transport options evaporated. One young waitress shared her ordeal of arriving two hours late for work and having to navigate through congested areas on foot.

A few restaurants and cafes managed to remain open to serve as resting spots for those fleeing the chaos but many were forced to shut down due to the outage impacting their cash registers and equipment. Some memorable scenes unfolded at Fantasilandia, Santiago's amusement park, where guests found themselves stuck atop a rollercoaster. Though the park had backup generators, the rides remained shut down for safety protocols.

As evening approached, the government declared a state of emergency, coupled with a curfew from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. to maintain order. In a silver lining, citizens took to social media to share beautiful images of the night sky, made clearer by reduced light pollution during that unprecedented night.