Cuba goes dark after power grid collapse

Cuba’s power grid suffered a complete collapse Monday, leaving around 10 million people without electricity.

The nation’s grid operator, Unión Eléctrica, announced the news on social media and said it would continue providing updates as it tries to restore the power. It’s latest of many nation-wide blackouts in recent years and follows the U.S. tightening restrictions on oil to the communist island, according to multiple reports.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Jan. 29, placing tariffs on goods imported to the U.S. from any country that “directly or indirectly sells or otherwise provides any oil to Cuba.”

The island nation heavily relies on oil for energy production, according to data from the International Energy Agency.

“The United States has zero tolerance for the depredations of the communist Cuban regime,” the executive order reads. “The United States will act to protect the foreign policy, national security, and national interests of the United States, including by holding the Cuban regime accountable for its malign actions and relationships, while also remaining committed to supporting the Cuban people’s aspirations for a free and democratic society.”

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel began discussions with the Trump administration to find political solutions last week, Fox News reported.

The White House did not immediately respond to The Heartlander’s request for comment.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated.