About 90% of almost 1.5 million customers had no electricity, said Luma Energy, the island’s main power distributor.

By late Tuesday night, more than 700,000 clients, including Puerto Rico’s water and sewer company and 16 hospitals, had power back, said Luma.

The blackout prompted renewed calls to address the unincorporated US territory’s power issues, which have persisted since Hurricane Maria in 2017.

A failure in an electric line at one of the main power plants, Costa Sur, caused cascading issues across the island, Luma spokesman Hugo Sorrentini said.

US President Joe Biden has been briefed on the situation and Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm has spoken with Puerto Rico’s governor to offer assistance, the White House said.

“We can’t keep relying on an energy system that fails our people,” Jenniffer González-Colon, Puerto Rico’s current US congressional representative and the incoming governor of Puerto Rico, wrote on X.

“Today’s blackout and the uncertainty around restoration continue to impact our economy and quality of life,” she said.

On Facebook, the current governor, Pedro Pierluisi, demanded answers and solutions from the two main power companies, Luma and Genera.

Hundreds of thousands of residents at a time have been affected by power outages this year.

A June outage left about 350,000 customers without power as temperatures climbed, and more than 700,000 customers lost electricity after Hurricane Ernesto in August.

As they awoke to another day without power, Puerto Ricans expressed frustration.”They’re part of my everyday life,” Enid Núñez, 49, said of the outages to the Associated Press.

Puerto Rico’s power grid was strained even before Hurricane Maria devastated the island.

US government funding helped shore up the grid, facilitate recovery projects from other natural disasters, and make other important infrastructure improvements.

But the implementation has been incomplete due to a variety of factors, such as issues starting construction and the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s requirements to authorise use of some of the funds, according to a February 2024 report from the US Government Accountability Office.

“Inexcusably the power grid has still not recovered from damage in Hurricane Maria,” Mark Levine, New York City’s Manhattan borough president, wrote on X.

New York City is home to the largest Puerto Rican community in the mainland US.

The cause of the blackout is under investigation, but preliminary findings pointed to a fault in an underground line, according to Luma Energy, the island’s main power distributor. Fully restoring service could take between 24-48 hours, the company said on X.Only 13% of the island’s 1.4 million customers had power as of about 10:00 local time (14:00 GMT), according to the New York Times.

An hour later, power had been restored to some areas, as well as San Juan’s municipal hospital, Luma said.

The New Year’s Eve blackout prompted renewed calls from elected officials and residents to address the unincorporated US territory’s ongoing power issues, which have persisted since Hurricane Maria in 2017.

The island cannot continue to put up with an energy system that fails its citizens so often, Jenniffer González-Colon, Puerto Rico’s current US congressional representative and the incoming governor of Puerto Rico, wrote on X.

Blackouts continue to affect Puerto Rico’s economy and quality of life, she said.On Facebook, the current governor, Pedro Pierluisi, demanded answers and solutions from the two main power companies, Luma and Genera.

Hundreds of thousands of residents at a time have been affected by power outages this year. A June outage left about 350,000 customers without power as temperatures climbed, and more than 700,000 customers lost electricity after Hurricane Ernesto in August.

As they awoke to another day without power, Puerto Ricans expressed frustration to US media.

“They’re part of my everyday life,” Enid Núñez, 49, said of the outages to the Associated Press.

Puerto Rico’s power grid was strained even before Hurricane Maria devastated the island. US government funding helped shore up the grid, facilitate recovery projects from other natural disasters, and make other important infrastructure improvements.

But the implementation has been incomplete due to a variety of factors, such as issues starting construction and the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s requirements to authorise use of some of the funds, according to a February 2024 report from the US Government Accountability Office.

“Inexcusably the power grid has still not recovered from damage in Hurricane Maria,” Mark Levine, New York City’s Manhattan borough president, wrote on X.

New York City is home to the largest Puerto Rican community in the mainland US.

“This is 3.5M American citizens,” he wrote. “We owe them so much better.”

Puerto Rican Bamba won the WBA Gold Cruiserweight title by defeating Mexican Rogelio Medina on 21 December.

Singer Ne-Yo, who signed Bamba to his management company in November, confirmed the news in a joint-statement alongside Bamba’s family on Instagram.

“It is with profound sorrow that we announce the passing of beloved son, brother, friend and boxing champion Paul Bamba, whose light and love touched countless lives,” the statement read.

“He was a fierce yet confident competitor with an unrelenting ambition to achieve greatness.

“But more than anything, he was a tremendous individual that inspired many with his exceptional drive and determination.

“We are heartbroken by his passing and kindly ask for privacy and understanding during this difficult time as we collectively navigate our grief.”

Bamba won each of his 14 fights in 2024 by knockout, culminating in his world title win against Medina in New Jersey.

Following that win last week Bamba posted on his Instagram: “This year I set out with a goal. I did just that. Wasn’t easy, there were many obstacles that I adapted to overcome and kept on the path we set regardless of extenuating circumstances.

He added: “If you’ve got what some might call an outlandish goal, go chase it. Anyone who thinks that isn’t as brave as you, prove people wrong.”

In all Bamba recorded 19 wins in 22 career bouts and earned 18 of those victories by knockout.

Jake Paul, who Bamba had called out for a future fight, posted on X: “RIP Paul Bamba.”