A large power outage struck vast swaths of Chile on Tuesday, interrupting mining operations in the world's biggest copper producer and leaving residents of Santiago without electricity. The head of Chile's National Electricity Coordinator (CEN),

SANTIAGO, Chile -- Electricity providers across Chile scrambled to restore service Tuesday after a sweeping blackout plunged 90% of the country into darkness, stranding commuters, knocking cell service offline and paralyzing businesses and daily life.

Power was restored to most of Chile's 19 million people Wednesday after the country's most disruptive blackout in 15 years, the government said, as authorities lifted a strict curfew imposed when the outage left 98% of the population without electricity.