Chile has been hit by its worst blackout in 15 years after a transmission line failure knocked out power for hours for more than 90 per cent of its population as well as the country’s crucial copper mines.

A massive power outage has hit 14 of Chile’s 16 regions, including the capital, Santiago and its surrounding region, where the Metro service was put out of service, the National Disaster Prevention and Response Service (Senapred) said on Tuesday.