15 dialysis patients have died in Venezuela's blackout: NGO
What's the story
Fifteen Venezuelans with advanced kidney disease have died after being unable to get dialysis during the country's extended power outage, an NGO reported yesterday.
"Between yesterday and today, there were 15 deaths for lack of dialysis," said Francisco Valencia, director of the Codevida health rights group.
He warned that there are more than 10,200 dialysis-dependent people nationwide who were at risk by the blackout.
Blackout
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"The situation of people with kidney failure is very critical. We're talking about 95% of dialysis units, which today likely hit 100%, are paralyzed, due to power outage," Valencia said.
Venezuelans since Thursday afternoon have been facing the worst blackout in the history of the country.
President Nicolas Maduro government has charged that a United States-led war on the electric power supply was underway.
Information
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US backs the interim presidency of opposition leader Juan Guaido, now recognized as the interim president for more than 50 countries. Maduro told yesterday that almost 70% of power had been restored but at midday there was another cyber "attack at one of the generators."
Attack
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Although Caracas (Capital of Venezuela) and the states of Miranda and Vargas, home to the country's international airport and main port, had intermittent power, the western regions of Barinas, Tachira, and Zulia remained without electricity.