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STORY: Much of Venezuela was plunged into darkness on Friday, after a major power outage.

President Nicolas Maduro's government blamed the widespread blackout on sabotage by the opposition party.

But it provided no evidence of a deliberate attack.

In the capital Caracas, many residents were not buying the Maduro government's claims.

Efigenia Benitez is one of them.

"Maduro is comfortable in his government palace. The ones paying the price are our businesses, customers, our homes. When the power comes back all of our appliances will be damaged. And who pays for it? No one."

Francisco Mendez blamed the Venezuelan authorities.

"The possibility of a power outage happening was announced weeks ago and the necessary precautions were not taken regarding the upkeep of the country’s electrical system."

Work was interrupted at Venezuela’s major oil terminal… and the metro system in Caracas was ground to a halt.

Many people waited on the street for the power to come back on, unaware of the root cause of the blackout.

President Nicolas Maduro, who is locked in a dispute with the opposition over the outcome of a July presidential election, often blames (quote) "attacks" on the power grid on his political rivals. The opposition has always denied involvement.

The electoral authority and Supreme Court have backed Maduro’s claim that he won re-election, even though authorities have not released full vote tallies.

Meanwhile, arrests of opposition figures have risen sharply over the last week.

A third citation was issued for former opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez to testify about his party’s vote tally claims. But it was unclear if it remained valid amid the blackout.