SAO PAULO — Approximately 1.4 million households in São Paulo, Brazil, remained without electricity on Saturday, nearly 24 hours after a brief but intense storm lashed the city. The storm resulted in at least seven fatalities.
Officials from São Paulo state reported that record wind gusts reaching up to 67 mph (108 kph) on Friday night caused widespread disruption, knocking down transmission lines and uprooting trees, leading to significant property damage in various areas. Several airports were forced to close, and water services were interrupted in parts of the metro area.
One victim was killed when a tree fell on an outdoor stall, while at least six others lost their lives in the broader São Paulo state.
Authorities had initially anticipated restoring power within hours, but as of Saturday, numerous neighborhoods in the metropolitan area—home to 21 million residents—continued to experience blackouts. Officials urged residents to conserve water due to the disrupted services.
Most of the outages were reported in the service territory of Enel-Sao Paulo, a utility partially owned by AES Corporation. The Virginia-based company announced in May that it was divesting its 47% stake in its Brazilian operations for $640 million.
Regulators have mandated an investigation into the utility’s operations, warning that failure to resolve the outages quickly and satisfactorily could lead to the termination of its private concession.
Enel reported that 17 high-voltage transmission lines were impacted by the storm but did not provide a timeline for power restoration efforts.
Credit: ABC News
