CFE restores power in Yucatán Peninsula after 7-hour blackout reportedly caused by vandalism

The Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) announced that power had been fully restored across four southeastern Mexican states, including Yucatán, Quintana Roo, Campeche and Chiapas, after a seven-hour blackout that began Monday evening. The utility cited acts of vandalism as the cause of the extensive outage, which occurred as temperatures reached 34 degrees Celsius (93 F).

The disruption affected major cities such as Mérida, Cancún, Playa del Carmen, and parts of Chiapas and Campeche, crippling commercial activities and leaving hundreds of businesses unable to process electronic payments, operate refrigeration systems or run air conditioning units. The power failure impacted over 10 million people, affecting both the Mexican state and neighboring Belize.

While the CFE stated that the issue stemmed from damaged insulation strings on a high-voltage transmission line, many citizens expressed doubt on social media, recalling previous incidents where the CFE attributed power outages to unrelated causes such as forest fires or illegal connections. The lack of transparency has fueled skepticism among the public. This incident follows a similar blackout last year that left over 2.2 million residents without power for six hours, along with recurring rolling blackouts in May 2025.