(MENAFN- Live Mint) A massive power outage plunged the entire Dominican Republic into darkness on Tuesday, disrupting traffic and halting businesses across the nation of nearly 11 million. Officials said the blackout stemmed from a failure in the transmission system, though the exact cause remains unclear.

Generation units at San Pedro de Macorís and the Quisqueya Power Plant shut down, setting off a chain reaction of failures across other transmission and generation facilities, the Dominican Electricity Transmission Company said.

It wasn't immediately clear how quickly power would be restored, but as of Tuesday night, some 15% of the system was back online, according to Energy Minister Joel Santos.

“We'll restore power little by little,” he said, adding that transportation and health were among the sectors with priority.

Santos said authorities are investigating what caused the outage, noting that "the electrical system is complex and requires in-depth analysis before a final report can be issued."

The blackout brought Santo Domingo's metro and aerial cable cars to a halt, forcing some passengers to walk through dark tunnels along the tracks. Hospitals, banks, and major institutions switched to generators, but thousands of homes and small businesses remained without electricity.

“Traffic is already chaos in eastern Santo Domingo,” said Tomás Ozuna, 37, as he headed to his night shift as an IT worker.“I don't know how we'll work.”

Meanwhile, Lissa Fernández, 26, said there was a generator at the bank where she works, but she wasn't sure how she would get home.“The metro isn't running. I have to figure out how to get there,” she said.

Leonel Encarnación, who owns a barbershop in Santo Domingo, said his business was full when the blackout hit.

“Ever since the air conditioning shut down, the clients left,” he lamented.

Most of the Dominican Republic's energy supply is fueled by oil and its products, followed by coal, natural gas, and to a lesser extent, solar, wind and hydroelectric power, according to the International Energy Agency.

(With agency inputs)

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