Venezuela's capital Caracas hit by power cut during rush hour Published duration 7 February 2018

image copyright Reuters image caption Commuters hitched lifts on the back of lorries to get home

A power cut during the evening rush hour in Venezuela's capital, Caracas, caused major disruption to parts of the city on Tuesday.

Hundreds of commuters could be seen walking along the city's central avenues as the metro was affected.

Other caught lifts on lorries or hung on to the doors of overcrowded buses.

Parts of the states of Miranda and Vargas were also hit by the cut, which officials blamed on "sabotage" without saying who may be behind it.

Some of those affected reported on social media that buses and taxis raised their fares as demand soared.

With many cash machines without power, people could not withdraw money to pay for transport and were forced to walk.

image copyright AFP image caption Commuters clung to the doors of buses as they tried to make their way home

image copyright Reuters image caption With 10 metro stations closed and buses overcrowded, many walked instead

Venezuela's inflation rate, the highest in the world, means that high denomination notes are hard to come by and stacks of them are needed to pay even modest amounts.

Venezuelan media said 10 metro stations had been closed.

media caption How to get by in Venezuela, when money is in short supply

He said the cables of a transformer had been cut, causing an explosion and a fire at a substation in Miranda state.

image copyright AFP image caption Many shops shut but this liquor store remained open and used candles for lighting

Electricity returned to some parts of Caracas later on Tuesday evening.

Venezuela experienced serious power shortages in 2016, when a drought left one of the main hydroelectric power stations almost dry.

The situation has improved since, but power cuts do continue to occur.

The government regularly blames the problems on "saboteurs" but critics of the administration of Nicolás Maduro say that officials have failed to maintain the country's facilities and infrastructure.