HAVANA, Feb 5, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Utility officials said eastern Cuba was plunged into darkness Wednesday night after a power grid failure left four provinces without electricity -- including the communist island's second-largest city, Santiago de Cuba.

"At this time, the provinces of Holguin, Granma, Santiago de Cuba and Guantanamo are without electric service," state-owned Union Electrica de Cuba (UNE) posted on X.

After six decades under US embargo, Cuba's electricity system is in shambles, with frequent and prolonged outages, and US President Donald Trump has recently threatened to cut off its heavily subsidized oil supplies from socialist Venezuela.