Cuba's National Electric Union said power was slowly being restored Wednesday evening (September 10) on the Caribbean Island after the grid collapsed at 9:14 a.m. local time.

State-run media reported airports and essential services such as hospitals and water pumps were up and running thanks to backup systems. The vast majority of the country's 9.7 million residents remained in the dark.

In Havana, home to 2 million residents, authorities said they were working to start major power plants.

This was the fourth time in less than a year that the national grid collapsed. In the past, it has taken two to three days for service to be fully restored.

Even before Wednesday's grid collapse, the vast majority of residents had already been experiencing daily blackouts of 16 hours or more.

The grid failure follows a string of nationwide blackouts since late last year that plunged Cuba's frail and antiquated power generation system into near-total disarray.

The country has also been facing fuel, food and other shortages, along with its worst economic crisis in decades.

"The night is quite difficult because you can't use a fan or anything and it's very hot," Francisca Arozarena said in Havana.

Cuba's oil-fired power plants, already obsolete and struggling to keep the lights on, reached a full crisis last year as oil imports from Venezuela, Russia and Mexico dwindled.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

Cuba says power slowly returning after nationwide blackout

VIDEO SHOWS: HAVANA IN DARKNESS AFTER POWER OUTAGE / SOUNDBITES FROM RESIDENTS

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE STORY

SHOWS: HAVANA, CUBA (SEPTEMBER 10, 2025) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. CAPITOL BUILDING IN DARKNESS

2. REVOLUTION SQUARE TOWER WITH LIGHTS OFF

3. DARK STREETS DURING POWER OUTAGE

4. PEOPLE WALKING IN THE DARKNESS

5. RESIDENT TASTING FOOD

6. RESIDENT MIXING FOOD IN CONTAINER

7. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) RESIDENT, FRANCISCA AROZARENA, SAYING:

"The night is quite difficult because you can't use a fan or anything and it's very hot. During the day you can manage things because there's daylight, you can cook and so on, but at this hour you can't do anything anymore, you have to go to bed to sleep."

8. PEOPLE GREETING EACH OTHER IN DARK HALLWAY

9. RESIDENT USING FLASHLIGHT TO WALK IN THE DARKNESS

10. RESIDENT LOOKING AT PHONE WHILE LIGHTING ROOM WITH CANDLE

11. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) RESIDENT, DARIS RODRIGUEZ, SAYING:

"A blackout like this that lasts from dawn until who knows when. It's hard because you have to stop doing many things to take care of the house. For example, I live alone, I have to start cooking early, leave work and start cooking, do everything on time, because when night comes, now I have to sit on the sidewalk to see what happens. Because of the heat, you can't use a fan, the hygiene is terrible, there are mosquitoes, so if the electricity doesn't come back until tomorrow, you have to spend the night sitting at the door."

12. DARK STREETS SEEN FROM MOVING VEHICLE

13. POSTER IMAGE OF FIDEL CASTRO IN DARKNESS

14. CARS PASSING ON DARK STREETS