Officials demand answers as crews work to restore power after another Puerto Rico blackout

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Crews scrambled to restore power to Puerto Rico on Thursday after a blackout hit the entire island the previous day, affecting the main international airport, hospitals and hotels filled with Easter vacationers.

The outage that began around midday Wednesday left 1.4 million customers without electricity and more than 400,000 without water. More than 958,000 customers, or 65%, had power back by Thursday night, while 89% of customers had water restored. Officials expected 90% of customers to have power back within 48 to 72 hours after the outage, although 200,000 clients were left without power again on Thursday afternoon when one power plant failed twice.

“We are still in a precarious situation. This is old, fragile equipment," said Gov. Jenniffer González, who cut her weeklong vacation short and returned to Puerto Rico on Wednesday evening.

She said it would take at least three days to have preliminary information on what might have caused the blackout, which snarled traffic, forced hundreds of businesses to close and left those unable to afford generators scrambling to buy ice and candles.

“This is a shame for the people of Puerto Rico that we have a problem of this magnitude,” the governor said.

González warned that the boiler of one power plant was not functioning and would take one week to repair, which could affect power generation next week, when people return from vacation.

It’s the second massive blackout to hit Puerto Rico in less than four months. The previous one happened on New Year’s Eve.

“Why on holidays?” griped José Luis Richardson, who did not have a generator and kept cool by splashing water on himself every couple of hours.

The roar of generators and smell of fumes filled the air as a growing number of Puerto Ricans renewed calls for the government to cancel the contracts with Luma Energy, which oversees the transmission and distribution of power, and Genera PR, which oversees power generation.

González promised to heed those calls.

“That is not under doubt or question,” she said, but added that it’s not a quick process. “It is unacceptable that we have failures of this kind.”

González said a major outage, like the latest one, causes an estimated $215 million revenue loss daily.

Ramón C. Barquín III, president of the United Retail Center, a nonprofit that represents small- and medium-sized businesses, warned that ongoing outages would spook potential investors at a time when Puerto Rico urgently needs economic development.

“We cannot continue to repeat this cycle of blackouts without taking concrete measures to strengthen our energy infrastructure,” he said.

Many also were concerned about Puerto Rico’s elderly population, with the mayor of Canóvanas deploying brigades to visit the bedridden and those who depend on electronic medical equipment.

Meanwhile, the mayor of Vega Alta opened a center to provide power to those with lifesaving medical equipment.

Wednesday night was difficult for many, including 62-year-old Santos Bones Burgos.

“I spent it on the balcony,” he said, adding that he was trying to get some fresh air.

At some point, he fell asleep and recalled waking up at 5 a.m. to a neighbor yelling, “The power is back!”

Among those unable to sleep was Dorca Navarrete, a 50-year-old house cleaner who said it was too hot. “Last night was horrible,” she said. "I woke up with a headache.”

When she opened her eyes, she saw light and thought it couldn't possibly be the sun at that hour. Then a smile spread across her face when she realized it was from the light she had left on in a room the day before.

It was not immediately clear what caused the shutdown, the latest in a string of major blackouts on the island in recent years.

Officials are looking into whether several breakers failed to open or exploded. González said.

Another possibility is that overgrown vegetation affected the grid, which, if true, should not have happened, said Josué Colón, the island’s energy czar and former executive director of Puerto Rico’s Electric Power Authority.

He noted that the authority flew daily to check on certain lines, something he said Luma should be doing.

Colón said Luma also needs to explain why all the generators shut down after there was a failure in the transmission system, when only one was supposed to go into protective mode.

Pedro Meléndez, a Luma engineer, said an investigation is ongoing. He said in a news conference Thursday that the line where the failure occurred was inspected last week as part of regular air patrols to check on more than 2,500 miles worth of transmission lines across the island.

“No imminent risk was identified,” he said.

Daniel Hernández, vice president of operations at Genera PR, said Wednesday that a disturbance hit the transmission system shortly after noon, a time when the grid is vulnerable because there are few machines regulating frequency at that hour.

Puerto Rico has struggled with chronic outages since September 2017, when Hurricane Maria pummeled the island as a powerful Category 4 storm, razing a power grid that crews are still struggling to rebuild.

The grid already had been deteriorating as a result of decades of a lack of maintenance and investment under the state's Electric Power Authority, which is struggling to restructure $9 billion in debt.

On Jan. 9, Puerto Rico's representative in Congress, Pablo José Hernández, joined by legislators including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, sent a letter to U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright calling for the release of federal funds slated for the installation of rooftop solar and battery storage in Puerto Rico. The money is meant to help those whose disabilities or medical conditions require a power connection.

Puerto Rico's governor also has repeatedly called for those funds to be released.

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

A man uses a plastic plate to fan the flames of a makeshift charcoal grill outside his home during a blackout in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Alejandro Granadillo)

Nurys Perez, owner of Nurys Salon, styles a client's hair on the sidewalk outside her shop during a blackout in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Alejandro Granadillo)

Drivers fill up fuel containers at a gas station during an island-wide blackout in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Wednesday, April 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Alejandro Granadillo)

Customers sit inside a restaurant lit by battery-powered lanterns during an island-wide power outage, in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, Wednesday, April 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Alejandro Granadillo)

Vehicles navigate a dark street in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, during an island-wide blackout, Wednesday, April 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Alejandro Granadillo)

A local fills fuel containers at a gas station in San Juan, Puerto Rico, during an island-wide blackout, Wednesday, April 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Alejandro Granadillo)

A gas station employee directs traffic as cars line up for fuel during an island-wide blackout in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Wednesday, April 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Alejandro Granadillo)

Headlights illuminate cobblestone streets in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, during an island-wide blackout, Wednesday, April 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Alejandro Granadillo)

CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland (AP) — Axel Clavier felt like he was suffocating inside the Swiss Alpine bar where moments before he'd been ringing in the new year with friends and dozens of other revelers.

The 16-year-old from Paris escaped the inferno, which broke out after midnight Thursday, by forcing a window open with a table. But about 40 other partygoers died, including one of Clavier's friends, falling victim to one of the worst tragedies in Switzerland's history.

The blaze also injured about 115 people, most of them seriously, as it ripped through the crowded Le Constellation bar at the ski resort of Crans-Montana, police said.

Clavier told The Associated Press that “two or three” of his friends remained missing hours after the disaster.

Valais Canton police commander Frédéric Gisler said during a news conference that work is underway to identify the victims and inform their families, adding that the community is “devastated.”

Authorities did not immediately have an exact count of the deceased.

Beatrice Pilloud, Valais Canton attorney general, said it was too early to determine the cause of the fire.

“At no moment is there a question of any kind of attack,” Pilloud said.

She later said the number of people who were in the bar is “unknown,” and its maximum capacity will be part of the investigation.

“For the time being, we don’t have any suspects,” she added, when asked if anyone had been arrested over the fire. “An investigation has been opened, not against anyone, but to better understand the circumstances of this dramatic fire.”

Clavier, the Parisian teenager, said he didn’t see the fire start, but did see waitresses arrive with Champagne bottles with burning sparklers. He lost his jacket, shoes, phone and bank card while fleeing, but “I am still alive and it’s just stuff.”

“I’m still in shock,” he added.

Two women told French broadcaster BFMTV they were inside when they saw a male bartender lifting a female bartender on his shoulders as she held a lit candle in a bottle. The flames spread, collapsing the wooden ceiling, they told the broadcaster.

One of the women described a crowd surge as people frantically tried to escape from a basement nightclub up a narrow flight of stairs and through a narrow door.

Another witness speaking to BFMTV described people smashing windows to escape the blaze, some gravely injured, and panicked parents rushing to the scene in cars to see whether their children were trapped inside. The young man said he saw about 20 people scrambling to get out of the smoke and flames and likened what he saw to a horror movie as he watched from across the street.

“This evening should have been a moment of celebration and coming together, but it turned into a nightmare,” said Mathias Reynard, head of the regional government of the Valais Canton.

Crans-Montana is less than 5 kilometers (3 miles) from Sierre, where 28 people, including many children, were killed when a bus from Belgium crashed inside a Swiss tunnel in 2012.

In a region busy with tourists skiing on the slopes, the authorities have called on the local population to show caution in the coming days to avoid accidents that could further strain the area's already overwhelmed medical resources.

With high-altitude ski runs rising around 3,000 meters (nearly 9,850 feet) in the heart of the Valais region's snowy peaks and pine forests, Crans-Montana is one of the top venues on the World Cup circuit. The resort will host the best men’s and women’s downhill racers, including Lindsey Vonn, for their final events before the Milan-Cortina Olympics in February. The town's Crans-sur-Sierre golf club stages the European Masters each August on a picturesque course.

Swiss President Guy Parmelin, speaking on his first day in the largely ceremonial job, said many emergency staff had been “confronted by scenes of indescribable violence and distress.”

“This Thursday must be the time of prayer, unity and dignity,” he said. “Switzerland is a strong country not because it is sheltered from drama, but because it knows how to face them with courage and a spirit of mutual help.”

Dazio reported from Berlin and Leicester reported from Paris. Geir Moulson in Berlin and Graham Dunbar in Geneva contributed to this report.

People light candles near the sealed off Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations. (AP Photo/ Antonio Calanni)

People bring flowers and letters, reading "Rest in Peace", near the sealed off Le Constellation bar, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/ Antonio Calanni)

People mourn behind flowers near the sealed off Le Constellation bar, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Baz Ratner)

People bring flowers and candles near the sealed off Le Constellation bar, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/ Antonio Calanni)

People mourn behind flowers and letters near the sealed off Le Constellation bar, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/ Antonio Calanni)

Police stands at an emergency tent beside the sealed off Le Constellation bar, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Friday morning, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/ Antonio Calanni)

The sealed off Le Constellation bar, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations is seen in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Friday morning, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/ Antonio Calanni)

People cry at the scene after a fire broke out at the "Le Constellation" bar and lounge during New Year's celebration, in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP)

People lay candles and flowers near the Le Constellation bar, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/ Antonio Calanni)

Shadows of People are seen in the sealed off Le Constellation bar, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/ Antonio Calanni)

People lay flowers and light candles for the victims of the fire at the "Le Constellation" bar and lounge during New Year's celebration, in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (Alessandro della Valle/Keystone via AP)

People lay candles near the Le Constellation bar, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/ Antonio Calanni)

People lay candles and flowers near the Le Constellation bar, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/ Antonio Calanni)

Police officers inspect the area where a fire broke out at the Le Constellation bar and lounge leaving people dead and injured, during New Year’s celebration, in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (Alessandro della Valle/Keystone via AP)

A floral tribute left near the area where a fire broke out at the Le Constellation bar and lounge during New Year's celebration, in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP)

Police officers inspect the area where a fire broke out at the Le Constellation bar and lounge leaving people dead and injured, during New Year’s celebration, in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP)

A hearse drives past as police officers inspect the area where a fire broke out at the Le Constellation bar and lounge during New Year's celebration, in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP)