Caracas' metro train system ground to a halt, traffic lights went out and mobile phone services collapsed across the country

A major power outage hit Venezuela's capital and eight states on Tuesday, and emergency officials called for calm as the blackout caused traffic chaos. Caracas' metro train system ground to a halt, traffic lights went out and mobile phone services collapsed across the country. A government official said the power failure was caused by a snapped cable and that it expected electricity supplies would be restored within a few hours. 'We have some electrical failures in several states across the country,' Luis Curvelo, head of Venezuela's emergency services, told television station Globovision. He called on the population to remain calm.