Venezuela's Guaido declares emergency after 4-day blackout

March 11 (UPI) -- Venezuelan interim leader Juan Guaido on Monday requested the National Assembly he leads to declare a national emergency over the "public calamity" from the ongoing blackout.

Guaido asked the country's armed forces to allow protests during the country's interrupted electricity service, which he said was caused by corruption and inefficiency.

In his capacity as interim president, he ordered Venezuela's armed forces to protect workers of state electricity company Corpoelec. The military, however, is loyal to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who's blamed the blackout on sabotage.

Caracas' metro subway system has been down since power was first interrupted Thursday night. At the airport, Copa Airlines was only allowing carry-on baggage in the cabin while other airlines canceled flights entirely in recent days.

The Venezuelan border area in Cucuta was reopened but Venezuelan officials didn't allow any food into the country.

In Caracas, there were reports of long lines of cars waiting for fuel and hospitals have been among the most affected by the blackout.

On Sunday night, there were attacks on Caracas banks and officials said some 50 people who broke into the Pyramid commercial center were arrested.

An electricity substation in the Baruta neighborhood of Caracas exploded at midnight Sunday, leaving some areas where power had been restored in the dark, according to reports.

Maduro said Sunday the national electricity system was targeted by cyberattacks and tweeted images of protesters rallying against the "sabotage."

Venezuelan officials declared Monday a day off for schools and businesses due to the blackout. Corpoelec tweeted requests for customers in areas where service continued, to minimize electricity consumption.

Because power to water pumps was interrupted, many parts of the country are also suffering from water supply issues.