Caracas was plunged into a blackout this afternoon most of the city also hit several states in the interior in the country.
The Caracas Subway system was forced to shut down in its entirety in response to the blackout, sending frustrated commuters onto the streets to look for alternative modes of transportation. The shutdown was announced through a message posted on the system’s twitter account at 3:12 PM.
The video below shows subway riders on the street at an intersection in Caracas after being forced to exit the station. The intersection is uncontrolled, since the traffic light was also affected by the blackout:
The blackout was still affecting Caracas at approximately 4:30 PM local time. The video below shows people walking along the Sabana Grande avenue due to the subway shutdown:
More subway commuters walking, this time on the Plaza Altamira:
Despondent Senior Shares Plight with Reporter
A despondent senior shared his plight today with a reporter from the NTN24 television network in Caracas. The man was part of a group of protesters who was demonstrating against the Maduro regime’s recent announcement that pensions would be paid only to those who held a carnet de la patria, a regime identification card.
Below, the man’s comments along with my translation:
Man: What can I do? Who can help me? God! Please help me. [Unintelligible]. How much longer will this go on? The days that I have left of life–I’m going to die of hunger, because I don’t have a way to eat. I don’t have money. I don’t have a pension. I’ve gone about 15 days, one month that I haven’t received anything. I have to beg from my neighbours and other people… it can’t be like this.
Reporter: Where did you work when you were younger?
Man: Well, I worked at a hardware store in Caracas. I won’t name it but I worked at a hardware store for 45 years paying [into my pension] to one day be able to live from it, and now this man [Maduro] is making us go hungry, because that’s what he’s doing. I’m willing to die on the streets [unintelligible]. To die at the hands of these bandits or to die of hunger is the same to me. So that’s why I’m protesting today.
Questions/Comments? E-mail me: invenezuelablog@gmail.com
Note: I will not be able to dedicate much time to the daily updates until Sunday, September 1. I apologize.
In Venezuela 