Venezuela's Maduro: US triggered massive blackout

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro on Wednesday blamed the United States for a second massive blackout this year that cast most of the South American nation in darkness in a desperate attempt to overthrow him.

The outage hit at rush hour Monday leaving millions without basic services freezing Caracas' metro, snarling traffic and leaving residents without running water.

Maduro said the U.S. launched a "high-tech electromagnetic attack" to undermine his rule, but he gave no details or evidence linking the power failure to the United States.

"They have not been able, nor will they be able to with the unity, loyalty and cohesion of the Venezuelan armed force, which is making them desperate," Maduro said.

He spoke on state TV surrounded by the high military command at the Fuerte Tiuna military base in Caracas overseeing the start to military exercises.

Maduro's opponents blame the outages on corruption and inadequate maintenance under two decades of socialist rule first launched by the late President Hugo Chavez.

Venezuela is a once-wealthy oil nation that is caught in a historic political and economic crisis that has sent at least four million residents fleeing, driven by a lack of food and medicine.

Electrical power returned to Caracas and several states hours after the most recent failure. Maduro in March also blamed U.S. sabotage for a nationwide blackout lasting nearly a week, considered the nation's worst power failure in its history.

Tensions between Venezuela and the United States intensified this year when it was first among dozens of nations to announce its support of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó.

Guaidó in January declared Maduro's last election a fraud and cited his role as leader of the National Assembly as giving...