Ecuador hit by nationwide blackout, minister says

A nationwide blackout in Ecuador left 18 million people without power for several hours on Wednesday.

The outage disrupted the subway system, traffic lights, and even knocked out power to the Quito metro, which has its own separate system.

The Public Works Minister blamed the lack of investment in electrical systems, and residents expressed frustration at the lack of warning and continued "terrible service".

By the evening, 95% of the country's electricity had been restored.