Opposition politicians and aid groups report a rising number of deaths.
By Mary Beth Sheridan and Mary Beth Sheridan Correspondent covering Mexico and Central America Email Bio Follow Mariana Zuñiga March 10 at 4:39 PM CARACAS, Venezuela —Opposition lawmakers and aid groups warned Sunday that an unprecedented nationwide blackout in Venezuela was causing a rising number of deaths, as citizens struggled for a fourth day to find food and water and hospitals were paralyzed.
It was not possible to independently confirm the reports. The Venezuelan government has released little information on the blackout, blaming it on sabotage by U.S. authorities. Trump administration officials have denied the accusation and attributed the power outages to years of underinvestment and poor maintenance. While power was restored to some areas on Sunday, it was often fickle, failing hours later.
The mother, Alexandra Amundaray, a parking-lot attendant, said her 5-month-old son, Emanuel, had been suffering from dehydration in recent days. On Sunday morning, when he awoke, he was pale and cold, she said. She managed to get one of the few functioning ambulances in the city to rush him to the hospital, where he was treated at the emergency room for a blocked intestine, she said. “They went looking for a pediatric surgeon,” she said. “And then he died.
A woman waiting outside the emergency room for a doctor to see her six-month-old daughter, who was suffering from a bacterial infection, said she had been told only one doctor was working Sunday in the pediatric ward. The woman spoke on the condition of anonymity, saying she feared government repression.
What would happen if the diesel to operate the generator gave out? “All the doctors are obviously afraid of this,” he said. Power returned in some Caracas neighborhoods on Sunday. In Guarenas, a working-class suburb where residents infuriated by the blackout burned tires and trash on Saturday, electrical service returned early Sunday morning, but went out several hours later. Around the city, long lines formed outside bakeries, supermarkets and gas stations that had power.
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