Chile’s president has declared a state of emergency after an electricity blackout plunged most of the country into darkness on Tuesday, including the capital Santiago.

Chilean President Gabriel Boric declared a state of emergency on Tuesday after a massive blackout impacted 19 million people. In an address to the nation, Boric said the outage affected eight million homes and held private companies responsible for the disruption.

A sweeping blackout plunged most of Chile into darkness Tuesday, stranding commuters, knocking the internet offline and paralyzing businesses and daily life as officials scrambled to restore power. The government declared a state of emergency alongside a mandatory nighttime curfew that will last until 6 a.m. Wednesday.