Sawt Falasteen - Two-thirds of Cuba, including Havana, hit by blackout

The issue stemmed from an "unexpected" breakdown beginning shortly after noon at the Antonio Guiteras power plant, one of the island's largest, the utility said, adding that the center and west of the island were affected.

Cuba's electricity generation system is in shambles. Daily power outages of up to 20 hours are the norm in parts of the island, which lacks the fuel needed to generate power.

The crisis in the country of 9.6 million people comes at a particularly tense time, and has become more acute since the US ouster of Cuba's top ally, Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela, on January 3.

Maduro's administration supplied about half of Cuba's fuel.

After his capture, Washington imposed an oil embargo on arch-foe Cuba but later eased it, amid warnings from other Caribbean countries that it could trigger an economic collapse and make everyday people suffer unduly.

Still, President Donald Trump has maintained his blockade of sorts, and oil shipments from Caracas to Havana are in limbo.

Cuban authorities as a result have taken drastic measures, including the suspension of diesel sales, gasoline rationing, reduction of hospital care, and teleworking.

Public transport has also been sharply reduced, prompting a surge in prices for private shuttles.

For Damian Salvador, father of a six-month-old baby, Wednesday's huge power cut marked "the final blow."

"Everything you have in the fridge is going bad: meat, baby milk, everything," the 51-year-old said as he went to buy candles for the night.

The Caribbean island of Cuba lies some 150 kilometers (93 miles) off the southern coast of the US state of Florida.

To justify Washington's pressure policy, Trump has declared Cuban actions -- including hosting intelligence facilities of "malign actors" like Russia and persecuting political opponents -- as an "extraordinary threat to US national security."

Havana accuses Trump of seeking to strangle Cuba's economy.

The island, under a US trade embargo since 1962, has for years been mired in a severe economic crisis marked by extended power cuts and shortages of fuel, medicine and food.

Trump and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the Miami-born son of Cuban immigrants, have made no secret of their desire to bring about regime change in Havana.

On Wednesday, the carrier Air France announced it would suspend flights to Havana due to the island's jet fuel shortage, following the announcement of other international airlines several weeks ago.

Also on Wednesday, Cuba found itself in a diplomatic spat with Ecuador, which ordered the expulsion of its ambassador to Quito.

Ecuador's foreign ministry declared Basilo Gutierrez persona non grata, and gave him and the rest of his embassy staff 48 hours to leave the country. It did not offer a specific reason for the decision. Ecuadoran President Daniel Noboa is a close Trump ally.

O.Salim--SF-PST