Puerto Rico's massive power outage... "up to 48 hours in recovery"

Residents of American Puerto Rico, a Caribbean island region, greet the New Year in the dark.

Luma Energy, a Puerto Rican transmission facility manager, said, "As of 7:40 a.m. on the 31st, power outages were reported in more than 1.23 million out of 1.468 million units eligible for power supply."

In addition, "The power outage was reported from around 5:30 a.m. on the 31st," and "We had difficulty supplying power due to defects in underground cables," he said.

New Year's Eve events in Puerto Rico have also been disrupted as the peak season is crowded with mainland tourists, AFP reported.

Gov. Jennifer González-Colón, who is scheduled to take office on the 2nd, wrote on social media that "we cannot continue to rely on energy systems that disappoint our residents," adding that "stabilizing Puerto Rico's energy supply will be our top priority when we take office."