Chaos in Brazilian city amid two-day blackout
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (Reuters) -- A blackout in Florianopolis, the popular tourist destination and the capital of Brazil's Santa Catarina state, entered its third day on Friday, spreading chaos in the city where authorities had declared a state of emergency.
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Officials with government's electricity regulator, Aneel, said they have not yet been able to re-establish power supplies to the 300,000 people living in the southern city, which is on an island connected to the mainland by a long bridge.
An Aneel spokeswoman said power was expected to return later on Friday.
Phone calls to Florianopolis could not get through and Aneel officials in the Brazilian capital of Brasilia said part of the communications network was affected by the power failure and another part was overloaded by calls.
Dark street lights affected traffic and most businesses were closed. Water supplies to homes were also affected. Generators were being used to provide power to hospitals and some public institutions.
Hotels in Florianopolis were full with tourists and participants at two major business congresses, including the Futurecom telecommunications congress and fair -- one of the biggest events of the sector in Brazil.
Ironically, mobile phones did not work in the part of the city where the fair was taking place, local media said.
The blackout started on Wednesday afternoon, when a gas bottle used for power line maintenance on the bridge exploded, provoking a fire and affecting the cable.
Aneel may fine the company, Centrais Eletricas de Santa Catarina, over the incident.
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