A sweeping blackout has hit Chile, stranding commuters, paralyzing countless businesses and leaving most of the South American nation without electricity

A large power outage struck most of Chile on Tuesday, resulting in a curfew until Wednesday morning for the areas hit by the blackout.

The sweeping blackout caused headaches across the country as eight million households were affected and a state of emergency was instituted.

Much of the country lost electricity today in a blackout affecting millions of people. It’s disrupted business and traffic with lights out and intermittent mobile service, ABC reports. Officials are still investigating the cause,

A large power outage struck vast swaths of Chile on Tuesday (February 25), interrupting mining operations in the world's biggest copper producer and leaving residents of Santiago without electricity.

Electricity providers across Chile scrambled to restore service Tuesday after a sweeping blackout plunged 90% of the country into darkness, stranding commuters, knocking cell service offline and paralyzing businesses and daily life.

The agency in charge of Chile's power grid said the outage was caused by a disconnection in the transmission system in the Norte Chico region.