Thursday, May 8, 2014

The problem with State-run Capitalism: They cut your power, you complain, they kill you!

05/08/2014

Protests in Colombia over Power Cuts Leave 2 Dead

BOGOTA – Violence and disorder in and around the northern coastal city of Barranquilla due to blackouts in recent days have left two people dead and 16 wounded, Colombian authorities said Wednesday.

“The discomfort of the public led to protests and violent disturbances” that left a young man and a street vendor dead, the national ombudsman’s office said in a statement.

Sixteen people, including five children, have been wounded and about 25 buses have been pelted with stones, according to the statements.

Ombudsman Jorge Armando Otalora on Wednesday visited the Barranquilla suburb of Soledad where he said that the possibility of giving an indemnity to the families of the dead – identified as Julio Gomez and Francisco Ardila Salas – was being considered.

Ardila, 57, died Wednesday after being shot in the face as he was riding his motorcycle along a street after visiting a daughter in the hospital.

Otalora’s office asked utilities regulators to investigate the possible negligence of the Electricaribe company for the problem that, starting on Sunday, caused blackouts in part of Barranquilla, the fourth largest city in Colombia, and in Soledad.

The outages also affected the supply of potable water.

The electricity service in Barranquilla and Soledad “began to normalize itself starting Tuesday night,” the Ministry of Mines and Energy reported.

Energy Minister Amylkar Acosta traveled to Barranquilla to inspect the activities of Electricaribe at the damaged electricity substation and afterwards he met with local authorities.

“The system Electricaribe operates requires a major strengthening and toughening, such that all users are guaranteed better reliability and tenacity in ... service,” Acosta said.


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