Electricity has been fully restored across Panama after a major nighttime blackout left the Central American nation in darkness for several hours, officials confirmed on Sunday.

The power outage, which began shortly before midnight on Saturday, was caused by damage to a private generator, according to President Jose Raul Mulino.

Writing on X (formerly Twitter), the state power utility ETESA announced that power was successfully restored to all regions by 6:08 a.m. local time (11:08 GMT).

The prolonged power cut also affected water treatment facilities, leading to a temporary suspension of drinking water access in some areas. While short power outages are common in Panama, this incident was more severe than usual, sparking concerns over the country’s energy infrastructure.

Following the blackout, President Mulino criticized energy providers and hinted at possible sanctions against those responsible for the outage.

“We will act accordingly. Enough of the terrible service,” he wrote on X, suggesting that the government would take steps to hold power companies accountable for the failure.

Authorities have yet to announce any official measures, but the incident has renewed public frustration over the country’s electricity reliability. (ILKHA)